Speaking at the 20th anniversary of the annual Lake Tahoe Summit, Obama did not refer to Donald Trump directly, but accused climate sceptic Republicans of denying scientific reality.
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A White House fact sheet confirmed plans to provide $29.5m to efforts to reduce wildfire risk, $4m for watershed health initiatives in the region, and additional funds to help improve clean water infrastructure around Lake Tahoe.
“If you look at the overall picture of the research for the last 15 years, it shows that climate change is having a greater and greater impact on the lake compared to human impact”, Allan tells CBS 5. “It’s been written that the lake’s waters were once so clear that when you were out on a boat, you felt like you were floating in a balloon”. “A changing climate threatens even the best conservation efforts”.
The president says he will not have as nice a form of transportation, but he intends to return to Tahoe as a private citizen when he leaves office after this year.
Obama used the first stop on a two-day conservation tour to try to showcase how federal and local governments can effectively team up to address a local environmental concern like iconic Lake Tahoe, which straddles California and Nevada. “It’s not going to happen if we boast about how we’re going to scrap global treaties, or have elected officials who are alone in the world in denying climate change, or put our energy and environmental policies in the hands of big polluters”.
“I finally got here and I’m going to come back”, he said.
Sen. Harry Reid invited Obama to speak at Wednesday’s event in Stateline, Nevada.
The president then quoted an unnamed former leader of the Washoe Tribe (which has called Lake Tahoe home for thousands of years): “The health of the land and the health of the people are tied together, and what happens to the land also happens to the people”.
The increasing air temperatures in the Lake Tahoe region also have stressed the surrounding forests, causing an alarming increase in tree mortality that could lead to catastrophic wildfires, Schladow said.
“And just as this space is sacred to Native Americans, it should be sacred to all Americans”, he said.
Combined with state, local and private spending, the act is credited with leading to almost $2 billion in spending at the lake.
Feinstein said that includes $635.4 million federal dollars, $758.6 million from California and $338 million from the private sector. Heller helped bring Republicans on board and the bill was unanimously approved by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
“One need only gaze at these emerald blue waters to see the progress we’ve made in keeping Tahoe blue”, Reid said.
California Gov. Jerry Brown and Sens.
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Sandoval was absent because of a prior commitment to attend his conference on the opioid epidemic in Las Vegas. “I am very pleased that our coalition is growing as the state and Department of Interior have forged a new partnership to restore the Sea”, Senator Boxer said.
