TAHOE REGIONAL PLANNING AGENCY
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308 Dorla Court |
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P.O.Box 1038 |
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Phone: (775) 588-4547 |
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Elks Point, Nevada |
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Zephyr Cove, Nevada 89448-1038 |
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Fax (775) 588-4527 |
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Email: trpa@trpa.org |
Testimony of Juan Palma, Executive Director, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Infrastructure, and Nuclear Safety
August 8, 2002
Reno, Nevada
Good afternoon members of the Subcommittee, staff, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Juan Palma, Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, an agency created to lead the cooperative effort to preserve, restore and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region.
In July 1997, then President Clinton and Vice President Gore reaffirmed their administration’s role in helping to manage Lake Tahoe, a national treasure, by improving coordination among federal, state, and local agencies. That administration took bold and aggressive actions on water quality, transportation, forest management, recreation and tourism to protect Lake Tahoe’s environment, economy and quality of life.
TEA-21 played a major part in that effort. TEA-21 provided the consent of Congress for the establishment of the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO). Designated by Governor Miller of Nevada and Governor Wilson of California, the TMPO is emerging as an essential element in the planning and programming of transportation projects in the Lake Tahoe Region, projects that are today providing water and air quality benefits.
These projects are not just the result of the TMPO. The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT), as well as the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), are major players in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Both agencies have prepared water quality and erosion control master plans that identify the where, when and how much for retrofitting the existing roadway network in the Lake Tahoe Region, providing needed Best Management Practices (BMP) to protect Lake Tahoe’s water quality. NDOT in particular has been recognized for its partnership approach in the development and implementation of these BMPs.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) is a $906 million integrated approach over ten years to achieve and maintain all nine of the environmental thresholds for the Lake Tahoe Region. Many of the projects in the EIP are transportation related. Neither NDOT nor Caltrans can afford to complete their EIP projects with their usual source of funds. The Federal Lands Highway Program is essential in providing additional funding in support of these projects.
The Federal Lands Highway Program is well suited to the Lake Tahoe region’s needs. Under this program, Lake Tahoe projects are eligible under both the Forest Highway and the Discretionary sub-programs. NDOT has used or is using their Forest Highway allocations, along with voter approved statewide bonds, to construct erosion control facilities along most sections of SR 28. As you may be aware, sections of SR 28 in Nevada have been designated as a National Scenic Byway. NDOT is also using their funding for similar erosion control purposes on US 50, and has identified future projects on Kingsbury Grade and Mt. Rose Highway. Continuation of the Federal Lands Highway Program in the reauthorization of TEA-21 will provide for more of these erosion control projects in both Nevada and California.
TEA-21 also provided that in addition to the typical MPO funds made available to the TMPO, that “not more than 1 percent of the funds allocated under Section 202 (Federal Lands Highway Program) may be used to carry out the transportation planning process for the Lake Tahoe region”. It is important that the reauthorization of TEA-21 continue this eligibility.
The intent of this provision has not been fully realized, however. The amount of funds provided and the definition of what is considered eligible planning has been limited administratively. We ask that as the TEA-21 reauthorization discussion proceeds, that clear authority be provided for TRPA to use Tahoe’s 1 percent provision to conduct specific project planning activities, defined as concept development, site assessment, environmental studies and preliminary project design. Similarly, we ask that clear authority be provided for NDOT and Caltrans to use Tahoe’s 1 percent provision to conduct these activities, and provide for project construction.
The existing administrative interpretation of the TEA-21 language does not provide either the TMPO, NDOT or Caltrans the ability to utilize the Federal Public Lands Highway Program as was originally envisioned. This program, if not interpreted so narrowly, could easily serve as one of the most significant funding vehicles for meeting the Federal commitment to Lake Tahoe directed by the Clinton administration in 1997, and for meeting the mandates and responsibilities set for in PL 96-551, the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact.
Both TEA-21 and its predecessor the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) included numerous other programs of benefit to Lake Tahoe and Nevada. Lake Tahoe and Nevada continue to benefit from programs such as transit capital and operations grant programs, the Jobs Access and Reverse Commute Grant (JARC), Transportation Enhancement Activities (TEA), National Scenic Byways (NSB), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), the Clean Fuels program, bicycle and pedestrian programs, and the Recreational Trails program. We urge you to continue these programs in the next transportation legislation.
As a member of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO), we concur with their objectives for reauthorization, in particular extending the sub-allocation of urbanized Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds to all MPOs, increasing to 2 percent the metropolitan planning takedown funds in order to account for increased planning responsibilities, and to use National Highway System (NHS) , STP, and CMAQ funds for projects that manage and operate the transportation system. These changes would greatly enhance our ability to address transportation needs here at Lake Tahoe.
Congress and the Administration have many difficult choices to make for the reauthorization of TEA-21. The transportation needs of this country are enormous. We encourage you to take bold, assertive actions within the context of all our national priorities. We support the reauthorization of TEA-21, and encourage you to consider the above recommendations regarding Lake Tahoe. Thank you for this opportunity to help make those choices.