Since the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act passed in 2000, the
majority of the $1.5 billion of funding for environmental projects
has come from state and federal governments.
But that money ran out last year.
The odds of the Act being re-funded in the near future are slim,
says Tahoe Science Consortium director Maureen McCarthy. And both
Nevada and California are strapped for cash.
MCCARTHY: "There is a desire to transfer some of the
responsibility from the public sector, ie. the federal
government and the state governments who have the funded lions
share of the work done here in last ten to 20 years to private
sector partnerships."
McCarthy points to a recent example of public-private
collaboration where Nevada has allowed permitting to catch the
invasive crayfish in Lake Tahoe and sell them to
restaurants.
This year's summit is hosted by Senator Dean Heller of
Nevada. California senator Dianne Feinstein will also
speak.