INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Angry squabbles and partisan bickering may get all of the publicity back in Washington, but the opposite was true along the shores of Lake Tahoe Tuesday as members of both parties extolled the virtues of cooperation and bipartisanship regarding their precious body of water.
Led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and other high-profile lawmakers, members did something rare in the current political climate: They agreed. Throughout the Lake Tahoe Summit, held along Sand Harbor State Park, the overarching sentiment centered around keeping the lake — shared by California to the east and Nevada to the west — clean and preserved for generations to come.
“It’s always good to bring both sides together, both states together, all these communities together, and talk about a common cause,” said Heller, who readily acknowledged that bipartisanship is rare
“There are moments,” Heller said with a laugh, “and I’m pleased to be part of it. I look for bipartisan solutions. … The last thing we need is this lake to be a partisan issue, and frankly it’s not.”
Tuesday’s summit was the 22nd annual gathering for the event, which alternates years between Nevada and California. Members on both sides touted the reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act two years ago, which allocated $415 million towards environmental restoration in the region, control of aquatic and invasive species, and dealing with wildfires in the area.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who served as the keynote speaker at the event, argued to the nearly 450 attendees that “all is not lost” in the current Congress and that support for Tahoe is a prime example.
“Unfortunately, cooperation and bipartisanship really doesn’t seem to make the news,” said Murkowski, the chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which controls the purse strings for these issues, in a brief interview. “It’s the infighting, the back-biting that goes on. The acrimony that you see play out. So I think it’s important to remind people that there is good constructive work, dialogue, and friendships.”
“Bipartisanship is not dead,” she continued. “When you can come together around issues, whether it’s the lake here, or, in Alaska, it might be something different. It doesn’t make any difference what the issue is, let’s just make it happen.”
Feinstein has been a constant presence at the Tahoe Summit ever since she and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., brought then-President Bill Clinton to Tahoe Commons in 1997, which kicked off the summit in earnest. She specifically talked up the bipartisan effort by the group on stage to secure the transfer of seven C-130 aircrafts for Cal Fire in the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act, which will make it the largest aerial fleet to fight wildfires.
“You guys,” Feinstein said, “that’s a big deal.”
The longtime California Democrat, noting that Tahoe is one of two clear lakes in the world, spoke glowingly of the growth of “Team Tahoe,” which she said emerged from nasty back-and-forths between different factions around the lake years ago.
“The first summit didn’t just launch an effort to save the lake, it followed this: When everybody buys in and works together, from the federal and state governments to local communities and the private sector, great things can be accomplished,” Feinstein said. “This Team Tahoe is an open club.”
The summit came at an important time for many attendees, particularly the Californians as the state continues to reel from wildfires. The impact of the fires was even felt on site, as smoke was visible across the lake, which multiple speaker mentioned.
There were only flickers of partisanship on display during the nearly two-hour-long event, which included only one invocation of the Trump administration, as Sen. Cortez Masto, D-Nev., called on them to “show some leadership” on the issue.
“This administration has got to show some leadership, too,” she said midway through her remarks. “That means no more shady deals at the [Environmental Protection Agency] to benefit coal and energy lobbyists. No more abandoning critical international agreements we need to avert climate disasters.”
The Nevada Democrat also called for new tax credits to promote clean energy and pressed for improvements in “clean” transportation around the area, including the creation of bike lanes and electric buses and railways. However, she pressed for the continued bipartisan spirit that was on display.
“That’s what Tahoe’s all about,” said Cortez Masto, the state’s junior senator who replaced Reid in 2017. “This is so important that we continue to support Lake Tahoe and preserve it.”
Also mentioned multiple times during the event was the effect of climate change on the area, particularly from Feinstein and Cortez Masto. Heller told reporters after the event that he agrees climate change is affecting the region, calling it “a piece to the puzzle, without a doubt.”
However, the day was all about the lake, putting just about everyone on the same page.
“We may have a slightly different approach here or there,” said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., who has attended many summits since its inception. “The reality is the goal is the same. With a common goal, we’ll get there.”
