California making provisions if Nevada leaves TRPA Compact

By Kathryn Reed

Two California state senators introduced a bill on Friday that would bring changes to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

SB630 amends a series of sections of government code relating to the California Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The bill is authored by state Sens. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, and Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento.

California is working on protecting its assets at Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN file

It asks that the TRPA Regional Plan adopted in December be recognized.

The bill talks about California needing a contingency plan if Nevada goes forward with the provisions in its Senate Bill 271 which calls for the Silver State to withdraw from the bistate Compact in 2015. SB271 was passed two years ago when it looked like the Regional Plan might not get adopted and was at a time when the states were not playing nice.

Since then, officials from both state governments helped create a bridge to compromise that led to the near unanimous adoption of the Regional Plan more than two months ago.

There has been talk among Nevada legislators to repeal that bill in the current session. But the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore lawsuit to prevent the Regional Plan from taking effect could play a role in what Nevada does.

The California law introduced Feb. 22 says, “For California to have due time to protect its many interests in the Tahoe basin, the state will need to have a contingency plan in place prior to the dissolution of the bistate Compact, as contemplated by Senate Bill 271.”

It goes on to say, “The bill would revise the membership of the governing body of the agency to eliminate the existing five members of the governing body, and prescribe requirements for the appointment of a new nine-member governing board. The bill would also revise the composition of a technical advisory committee required to be appointed by the agency, and would request the participation of a representative of the governing board of the Nevada Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The bill would eliminate a provision authorizing the governing body of the agency to contract with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for services.”

If Nevada rescinds SB271 and remains part of the Compact that the federal government established more than 40 years ago, then SB630 would likely not go forward.