Sam Gibbons: “Mark Twain once described Lake Tahoe as the fairest picture the whole Earth affords. But with an estimated 30 percent of…”

“Mark Twain once described Lake Tahoe as the fairest picture the whole Earth affords. But with an estimated 30 percent of Lake Tahoe surrounding forests that are dead and dying and the lake losing a foot of clarity each year, many vital environmental changes must be made to ensure that we pass on to our children the same wonderful gift of nature in the same pristine fashion as which we once found it. A very important first step in this battle was taken when the President hosted the Lake Tahoe environmental summit this weekend. As a result of these meetings, $48 million in Federal funds were committed to the Lake Tahoe Basin for cleanup and conservation efforts. But most important, the majority of these dollars will be made available to the people of Lake Tahoe and not to a Federal bureaucratic agency. Mr. Speaker, the agreement reached at Lake Tahoe is a shining example that the concerns of environmentalists and private property owners are not mutually exclusive. I applaud all those involved in this weekend's activities.”