Miller: TRPA withdrawal bill did its job, should be rescinded

Secretary of State Ross Miller issued a statement Friday saying the legislation threatening withdrawal from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency should be rescinded.Miller pointed out that he testified in support of Senate Bill 271 which called for dramatic changes in the TRPA compact. He said that bill “has clearly been effective in bringing stakeholders to the table to work together cooperatively.”Since the measure was passed in the 2011 Legislature, all parties in the Tahoe basin have worked out a series of changes to the Tahoe Regional Compact. The regional plan update is now on its way to final adoption by the agency and has support from a wide variety of stakeholders including unanimous support from the Tahoe chamber of Commerce board of directors.The legislation threatened to withdraw Nevada from the bi-state compact that manages the Tahoe Basin by 2015 unless major changes were made including ending requirements that projects be approved by a majority of members from both states.Miller said the updated plan is about to win approval and should be allowed to work.“If the regional plan is adopted and not litigated, I intend to support any legislation that would rescind SB271 in the next legislative cycle,” he said. To make those changes, the updated plan must be approved by both California and the U.S. Congress.The TRPA’s Governing Board is expected to vote on the Regional Plan Update during a meeting at Harveys Lake Tahoe Wednesday. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m.