RENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada and California politicians say the large and deadly wildfires burning in California are a reminder of the risk that fires pose to the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller, California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein and others speaking Tuesday at the annual Tahoe Summit described the risks of increasingly intense wildfires to the area and efforts the government and businesses are making to protect the lake.
Republican Rep. Tom McClintock of California said past summits have not focused on fire prevention but the Tahoe Basin" is on borrowed time."
Feinstein said the U.S. government has contributed about $705 million to protect the lake while California has invested $840 million and Nevada has contributed $121 million.
The Reno Gazette-Journal reportslocal communities have chipped in another $121 million and the private sector has put forth $362 million.