[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 149 (Tuesday, September 24, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5734-H5736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               LAKE TAHOE RESTORATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 612) to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, and for 
other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                 S. 612

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Lake Tahoe Restoration 
     Reauthorization Act''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE LAKE TAHOE RESTORATION ACT.

       (a) Cooperative Authorities.--Section 4(f) of the Lake 
     Tahoe Restoration Act (Public Law 106-506) is amended by 
     striking ``4 fiscal years following the date of enactment of 
     the Water Resources Development Act of 2016'' and inserting 
     ``period beginning on the date of enactment of this 
     subsection and ending on the date described in section 
     10(a)''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 10(a) of the 
     Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (Public Law 106-506) is amended by 
     striking ``for a period'' and all that follows through the 
     period at the end and inserting ``, to remain available until 
     September 30, 2034.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) and the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-
Cortez) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on S. 612, the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arkansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly support S. 612, the Lake Tahoe Restoration 
Reauthorization Act. This is a bicameral and bipartisan effort being 
led on the House side by Representatives Amodei, Kiley, and Duarte. I 
applaud their efforts to advance this legislation to the floor. This is 
a good bill that reauthorizes the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for 
another decade, ensuring no lapse in funding for a significant program 
serving the iconic Lake Tahoe area.
  During a hearing on this legislation in the Natural Resources 
Committee just last week, Julie Regan, the executive director of the 
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, ended her testimony with a quote from 
Congressman Kiley discussing the importance of Lake Tahoe to his 
community. Congressman Kiley is quoted as saying:

       We can get past the political divides by implementing 
     projects of common importance at a local level. Tahoe is the 
     perfect example. Spanning two States, multiple overlapping 
     jurisdictions, and red and blue counties. Yet we can all 
     agree on the goal of protecting something that is larger than 
     us. That transcends political differences.

  I could not agree more with Congressman Kiley's sentiment. I have had 
the pleasure of seeing the great work in Lake Tahoe firsthand, and the 
collaboration occurring in the Tahoe basin is truly a model of forest 
management for the rest of the Nation.
  S. 612 will help ensure the continued funding for restoration and 
resilience activities around Lake Tahoe, including critical work 
mitigating wildfire risk and restoring forest health. The bill also 
extends the authorization to enter into contracts and cooperative 
agreements with States and local governments to conduct fuel reduction, 
erosion control, and reforestation activities.
  Again, I want to commend Representatives Amodei, Kiley, and Duarte 
for working with their bipartisan and bicameral colleagues to advance 
this important forest management effort and secure the swift 
consideration of this legislation in the Natural Resources Committee 
and on the House floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
                   Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,


                                     House of Representatives,

                               Washington, DC, September 20, 2024.
     Hon. Bruce Westerman,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Westerman: I write to you concerning S. 612, 
     the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act. The bill was 
     referred primarily to the Committee on Natural Resources, 
     with additional referrals to the Committee on Transportation 
     and Infrastructure and Committee on Agriculture. 
     Specifically, provisions of S. 612 fall within the Rule X 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure.
       I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this 
     legislation before the House of Representatives in an 
     expeditious manner, and accordingly, the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo action on the 
     bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual 
     understanding that doing so will not prejudice the Committee 
     on Transportation and Infrastructure with respect to the 
     appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional 
     claim over the subject matter contained within the bill or 
     similar legislation that falls under the Committee on 
     Transportation and Infrastructure's Rule X jurisdiction. 
     Further, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I 
     appreciate your agreement to support my request to have the 
     Committee represented on the conference committee.
       Finally, I would ask that a copy of this letter and your 
     response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest in the 
     bill be included in the Committee Report and Congressional 
     Record during consideration of S. 612 on the House floor.
           Sincerely,

                                                   Sam Graves,

                             Chairman, Committee on Transportation
                                               and Infrastructure.

[[Page H5735]]

     
                                  ____
                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Natural Resources,

                               Washington, DC, September 23, 2024.
     Hon. Sam Graves,
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Graves: I write regarding S. 612, the ``Lake 
     Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act.'' The bill was 
     referred primarily to the Committee on Natural Resources, and 
     additionally to the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure, and the Committee on Agriculture, and was 
     ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on 
     September 19, 2024.
       I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall 
     within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation 
     and Infrastructure and appreciate your willingness to forgo 
     any further consideration of the bill. I acknowledge that the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will not 
     formally consider S. 612 and agree that the inaction of your 
     Committee with respect to the bill does not waive any 
     jurisdiction over the subject matter contained therein.
       I am pleased to support your request to name members of the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to any 
     conference committee to consider such provisions. I will 
     ensure that our exchange of letters is included in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill 
     and will include such letters in the committee report on S. 
     612. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     legislation.
           Sincerely,

                                              Bruce Westerman,

                                            Chairman, Committee on
     Natural Resources.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                     Committee on Agriculture,

                               Washington, DC, September 20, 2024.
     Hon. Bruce Westerman,
     Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter confirms our mutual 
     understanding regarding S. 612, the ``Lake Tahoe Restoration 
     Reauthorization Act''. Thank you for collaborating with the 
     Committee on Agriculture on the matters within our 
     jurisdiction.
       The Committee on Agriculture will forego any further 
     consideration of this bill. However, by foregoing 
     consideration at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction 
     over any subject matter contained in this or similar 
     legislation. The Committee on Agriculture also reserves the 
     right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of 
     conferees should it become necessary and ask that you support 
     such a request.
       We would appreciate a response to this letter confirming 
     this understanding with respect to S. 612 and request a copy 
     of our letters on this matter be published in the 
     Congressional Record during Floor consideration.
           Sincerely,
                                            Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Natural Resources,

                               Washington, DC, September 23, 2024.
     Hon. Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
     Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Thompson: I write regarding S. 612, the 
     ``Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act.'' The bill was 
     referred primarily to the Committee on Natural Resources, and 
     additionally to the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure, and the Committee on Agriculture, and was 
     ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources on 
     September 19, 2024.
       I recognize that the bill contains provisions that fall 
     within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Agriculture and 
     appreciate your willingness to forgo any further 
     consideration of the bill. I acknowledge that the Committee 
     on Agriculture will not formally consider S. 612 and agree 
     that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill 
     does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter 
     contained therein.
       I am pleased to support your request to name members of the 
     Committee on Agriculture to any conference committee to 
     consider such provisions. I will ensure that our exchange of 
     letters is included in the Congressional Record during floor 
     consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation 
     regarding this legislation.
           Sincerely,

                                              Bruce Westerman,

                                            Chairman, Committee on
                                                Natural Resources.

  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. I rise in support of S. 612, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act 
introduced by my colleague from Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto.
  The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is a bicameral, bipartisan effort to 
continue the tremendous work being completed in California and Nevada 
for a variety of landscape restoration and resiliency projects.
  The waters of Lake Tahoe are among some of the clearest in the world, 
and the basin is home to wetlands, swamps, deepwater habitat, aspen 
stands, forests, and meadows that support more than 1,300 species of 
plants and animals. Tahoe is a natural phenomenon. The Lake Tahoe 
Restoration Act passed in 2000 in a community effort to preserve and 
protect the landscape and economy of the basin.
  With it came an authorization of $300 million for 10 years and 
eventually $415 million after reauthorization in 2016. Investments made 
by the Federal Government have leveraged $500 million in State, local, 
Tribal, and private matching funds. It also supports an average of 
1,700 jobs a year.
  Now it is time for us to continue that commitment to protecting the 
alpine lake landscape.
  The work being completed throughout the Lake Tahoe basin exemplifies 
the value of both targeted Federal investments and community 
collaboration in forest and landscape management.
  In the 1990s, leaders in the basin came together to form a 
collaborative cross-boundary program known as the Environmental 
Improvement Program. The EIP has become a model for collaborative 
conservation.
  Overall, ecosystem restoration and management in the Lake Tahoe basin 
demonstrate how collaboration, partnerships, and dedicated funding for 
shared goals can yield measurable results.
  In the Federal Lands Subcommittee last week, Ms. Regan, the executive 
director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, said that the Tahoe 
model works because it is able to bring together the Federal and 
private funding and community consent in a mosaic of governance.
  This legislation will continue that important work.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Kiley).
  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, I have a tremendous honor to represent the 
entire California side of Lake Tahoe, and this legislation, the Lake 
Tahoe Restoration Act, is of the highest importance to my constituents. 
It is also of great importance to the State of California, as well as 
the State of Nevada. More than that, Lake Tahoe is an American 
treasure. Preserving its beauty and accessibility is a great national 
interest, and a national responsibility, with 80 percent of its 
watershed under Federal ownership.
  The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act has been crucial in enabling the 
communities of the basin to protect the lake for all Americans and for 
generations to come. Indeed, this bipartisan legislation has become a 
national model for collaboration in the name of conservation.
  Over 50 years ago, California Governor Ronald Reagan and Nevada 
Governor Paul Laxalt signed an interstate compact to cooperatively 
manage the environmental health of Lake Tahoe. This compact was 
ratified by Congress and signed into law by President Nixon, 
establishing a regional planning agency to work with the Federal 
Government on responsibly managing the Tahoe basin.
  Congress continued to support its role in the basin's health by 
passing the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2000 and again 16 years later 
in 2016. This generational, bipartisan support for Lake Tahoe has been 
vital to its preservation.
  The Restoration Act needs to be reauthorized to enable continued 
conservation efforts. This legislation does that for another decade.
  Specific programs include forest health and fuels reduction, 
combating invasive species, water infrastructure, and water quality 
improvement.
  As one example, the forest health treatments enabled by the act serve 
as a model of effective forest management, with 21,000 acres treated. 
This work proved crucial in stopping the devastating Caldor fire of 
2021 from becoming an even more catastrophic event, saving the city of 
South Lake Tahoe. Studies have shown that the forest health treatments 
in the area reduced the fire's 150-foot flames to 15 feet, making it 
easier for fire crews to get the blaze under control.
  However, much more work remains to restore the areas burned by the 
Caldor fire and to stop such a disaster from imperiling the basin 
again.
  Beyond just forest health, the restoration efforts enabled by the act 
are working. In 2023, Lake Tahoe achieved

[[Page H5736]]

its highest clarity since the 1980s, thanks to projects that prevented 
more than 500,000 pounds of fine sediment and pollution from flowing 
into the lake, as well as wetlands restoration spanning 342 acres and 
invasive species protection spanning 271 acres. However, in the face of 
extreme weather and other threats, more work is needed to reduce 
stormwater pollution and keep Tahoe blue for the next generation.
  The coalition supporting the act's renewal today spans a tremendous 
diversity of viewpoints. Yet we can all agree on the goal of protecting 
something that is larger than any of us.
  Protecting Tahoe is a responsibility for all of us. At the same time, 
it is an opportunity to forge new partnerships and to form habits of 
cooperation and collaboration as we work to protect a precious resource 
and build a better future together. I look forward to continuing the 
long legacy of bipartisan leadership that has preserved this special 
place.
  I thank my colleagues on both sides, and, in particular, Senator 
Cortez Masto for guiding this legislation through the Senate. I thank 
Chairman Westerman for his tremendous leadership and all his help in 
getting this bill to the floor today, and I urge an ``aye'' vote.
  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Nevada (Mr. Amodei). He is from the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.
  Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. I wish to 
associate myself with the remarks of the chairman of the committee and 
the Representative from New York, (Ms. Ocasio-Cortez) from the 
committee. I am not going to repeat all that, I am just going to add a 
couple of things contextually.
  I know that I am the last speaker standing in the way of getting to a 
Special Order, so I will be brief.
  First of all, to my colleague from the Golden State, it is 
interesting to note historically that when they decided who got to 
represent what sides of Lake Tahoe, Nevada got first pick. I am honored 
to have used that to get the side where we have the least developed 
side there is.
  Tahoe is a success story. This is the third authorization, or the 
second reauthorization of what was done initially. It has been a 
phenomenal bipartisan effort over the years, with the late great Dianne 
Feinstein leading the charge, based on her history in the Tahoe basin, 
and help from people like   John Garamendi on the other side of the 
aisle, as well as many others.
  I will just say this: It is a team effort that is working well. It 
has gone through a development stage over the last 20-plus years, but 
they are clicking along pretty good right now.
  I don't have anything sexy to say like humpback something or other or 
suckers like the fish from a couple years earlier, we have no razorback 
anything in Lake Tahoe, but I urge a ``yes'' vote.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I am 
prepared to close, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 
legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, this is a good, commonsense bill that 
will continue important forest management efforts in an area facing a 
high risk of catastrophic wildfire. This effort would not have been 
possible without the leadership of the Members representing the Lake 
Tahoe basin, including Representative Kiley of California and 
Congressman Amodei of Nevada.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 612, the ``Lake 
Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act.''
  I thank my colleagues, Senator Cortez Masto and Congressman Amodei 
for their critical efforts leading the bipartisan bill before us today.
  I am honored to be an original cosponsor of the House companion bill.
  The ``Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act'' would reauthorize 
$415 million in federal funding for conservation, climate resiliency, 
and other critical work across the Tahoe Basin through the end of 
fiscal year 2034.
  In addition, this bipartisan bill would renew the cooperative 
authorities for wildfire prevention and response, first used by the 
U.S. Forest Service during the 2021 Caldor Fire.
  As Deputy Secretary of the Interior during the Clinton 
Administration, I attended the first annual Tahoe Summit in 1997, 
organized by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein.
  Since then, we have made significant progress to safeguard Lake Tahoe 
for future generations of Californians and all Americans.
  This progress would not have been possible without the tireless 
efforts of Senator Feinstein spanning three decades.
  I urge my colleagues to pass this critical bill to Keep Tahoe Blue, 
paying tribute to Senator Feinstein's legacy by continuing her 
important work.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, S. 612.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________