Tahoe Restoration Act passes Senate; heads to House

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act passed the Senate as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016, Sens. Dean Heller and Harry Reid announced on Thursday.

“With five generations of Hellers enjoying the Lake Tahoe Basin, this bill hits close to home for me,” Heller said. “As the leading voice on this legislation, I’m proud of the manner in which it was pushed to new heights. Input from all key stakeholders, secured commitments of support from previous opponents, committee passage, and ultimately, success on the Senate floor were all deserved fruits of a hard labor. I would like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for garnering bipartisan support for this legislation.”

Sponsored by Heller and Reid and California Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, the legislation is designed to continue the ongoing effort to protect Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Basin from invasive species and devastating wildfires, while restoring Lake Tahoe’s water clarity and protecting threatened species and wildlands.

“As the entire world saw last month, the beauty of Lake Tahoe is unparalleled,” Reid said. “We must do everything we can to keep it that way.”

The bill goes to the House of Representatives, which only has a short time to act before adjournment.

The Tahoe portion was part of a bigger $10 billion water projects bill that includes emergency funding for Flint, Michigan — nearly a year after officials declared a public health emergency because of lead-contaminated water.

Senators approved the bill 95-3. The measure now goes to the House, where approval of a similar bill — minus the Flint provision — is expected as soon as next week.

The Senate measure would authorize 29 projects in 18 states for dredging, flood control and other projects overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The bipartisan bill includes $100 million in grants and loans to replace lead-contaminated pipes in Flint and other cities with lead emergencies, as well as $50 million to test water for lead in schools and $70 million for water infrastructure loans.

Michigan’s Democratic senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, welcomed the Flint measure, but said it comes months too late, with city residents still using bottled water.

“The people of Flint have waited way too long” for help from the state and federal governments, Stabenow said. “This should never have happened. And we know it happened because of decisions made — bad decisions — at the state level.”

Flint’s drinking water became tainted when the city switched from the Detroit water system and began drawing from the Flint River in April 2014 to save money. The impoverished city was under state control at the time.

Regulators failed to ensure the water was treated properly and lead from aging pipes leached into the water supply. Elevated lead levels have been found in at least 325 people, including 221 children. Lead contamination has been linked to learning disabilities and other problems.

Senators have twice reached a bipartisan deal to help Flint but were blocked after Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, objected. Lee voted against the bill, saying it increases spending without offsetting budget cuts.

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said the water-projects bill was crucial, not just for Flint but for the rest of the nation.

Among other projects, the bill would authorize $1.9 billion to help restore Florida’s Everglades and combat algae blooms that have fouled the state’s beaches and rivers. It also would bolster flood-prevention projects in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where torrential rains last month damaged more than 84,000 homes in the state, many in the Baton Rouge area.

The bill would continue a project to deepen Charleston Harbor in South Carolina; speed up reimbursements to tribal, local and state governments for costs incurred in a toxic-waste spill at Colorado’s Gold King Mine. The measure includes language about dredging in Long Island Sound, an issue that has divided Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and fellow Democrats in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The dispute involves dredging planned near a submarine base outside New London, Connecticut, to make room for the Navy’s newest Virginia-class submarines. Gillibrand and other New York officials fear the project could violate the state’s stringent water quality standards.

Gillibrand secured language in the bill aimed at blocking any disposal that violates water quality standards. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and other lawmakers tried to block the provision or amend it to apply only to standards in the state where the disposal occurs.

Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a statement that he shares a goal with Inhofe and Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., to send a water-projects bill to the president by the end of the year.