(a) The Legislature has recognized the need to protect and restore the fragile environment at Lake Tahoe; and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has prepared an Environmental Improvement Program that outlines a capital outlay approach to help achieve environmental thresholds in the Lake Tahoe Basin, which allocates funding responsibilities over the first 10 years of the program in the amounts of approximately two hundred seventy-four million dollars ($274,000,000) to the State of California, two hundred ninety-seven million dollars ($297,000,000) to the federal government, eighty-two million dollars ($82,000,000) to the State of Nevada, one hundred one million dollars ($101,000,000) to local governments, and one hundred fifty-three million dollars ($153,000,000) to the private sector.
(b) Funds allocated pursuant to subdivision (n) of Section 5096.310 shall be available for expenditure for the development, restoration, acquisition from a willing seller, and enhancement of real property, by the California Tahoe Conservancy within the Lake Tahoe region pursuant to Title 7.42 (commencing with Section 66905) of the Government Code for the following purposes:
(1) Protecting the natural environment through preservation of environmentally sensitive lands, soil erosion control, restoration or enhancement of watershed lands, and restoration or enhancement of streams and other natural areas.
(2) Providing public access and public recreation opportunities.
(3) Enhancing and restoring wildlife areas.
(c) The provision of these funds is to meet applicable state responsibilities pursuant to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Environmental Improvement Program.
(d) The allocation of these funds has been made in the expectation that the federal government, the State of Nevada, local jurisdictions, and the private sector will fulfill their respective obligations pursuant to the Environmental Improvement Program. The secretary shall report annually to the Legislature on the progress of the development and implementation of the Environmental Improvement Program, and the provision of these funds may be restricted in the event that the parties are found to be making inadequate progress or are not making good faith efforts towards fulfilling their respective obligations.
(Added by Stats. 1999, Ch. 461, Sec. 1. Approved in Proposition 12 at the March 7, 2000, election.)