Blue Ribbon Commish to meet Sept. 10

August 31, 2007 05:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
First California-Nevada Tahoe Basin Fire Commission Meeting Monday Sept. 10, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Panel to Review Laws, Policies, Practices That Impact Tahoe Basin Wildfire Vulnerability

SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first meeting of the California-Nevada Lake Tahoe Fire Commission will be held Monday, Sept. 10 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The Commission will meet at 9 a.m. at the Lake Tahoe Community College Library Board Room, 1 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

“The California-Nevada Tahoe Basin Fire Commission’s work is critical to ensure the threat of catastrophic wildfire in the Basin in reduced,” said Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman. “I’m confident the Commission’s recommendations will help both California and Nevada develop effective solutions to protect this valuable region for generations to come.”

The Commission meeting will feature presentations by local fire chiefs, scientists, the U.S. Forest Service, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, the California Air Resources Board, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and others. There will also be a public comment and discussion period. The agenda and notice for the meeting are attached.

On July 25, in the wake of the Angora Fire, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons signed a Memorandum of Understanding creating the Commission. The panel is comprised of 17 voting members who represent each state's stake in the responsible management of lands and fire fuels within the Tahoe Basin. This includes representatives from various state agencies, fire agencies and the public. The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture also has a designee from the U. S. Forest Service.

In addition to a comprehensive review of the laws, policies and practices that impact Tahoe Basin wildfire vulnerability, members will study various user-friendly approaches to reducing the threat of wildfires while protecting the environment. The Commission is charged with submitting recommendations to the two governors by Mar. 21, 2008.

The Angora Fire began on June 24, 2007 near Angora Creek in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. and was fully contained on July 2, 2007. The fire burned a total of 3,100 acres and destroyed 254 homes.

For more information about the California-Nevada Lake Tahoe Fire Commission visit: http://resources.ca.gov/TahoeFireCommission/

To view a list of Commission members and the MOU visit: http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release/7054/

Attached: Meeting Notice and Agenda

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

COMMISSION MEETING
OF THE
CALIFORNIA-NEVADA TAHOE BASIN FIRE COMMISSION

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Monday, Sept. 10, 2007
9 a.m.

Lake Tahoe Community College
Library Board Room
1 College Drive
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Public comment may be limited to three minutes per person at the
discretion of the Co-Chairs. Below is an agenda of all items
scheduled to be considered. Unless otherwise stated, items may be
taken out of the order presented on the agenda at the discretion of
the Co-Chairs.

AGENDA
(Action may be taken on those items denoted "Action")

1. Call to Order and Roll Call (Action)

2. California Report offered by Co-Chair Kate Dargan (Discussion)

3. Nevada Report offered by Co-Chair Sig Rogich (Discussion)

4. Information Reports--(Discussion)
Report on applicable requirements of California and Nevada
law including open Meeting act requirements.

California: Deputy Attorney General's Report (Discussion)
Nevada: Governor's General Counsel's Report (Discussion)

5. Discussion and Adoption of Bylaws (Action)

6. Discussion and Presentations by the following public entities
and officials regarding their regulatory/research role in fire
prevention activities (Discussion):
Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Chiefs
Lake Tahoe Science Consortium
USDA Forest Service
Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board
California Air Resources Board
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

7. Public Comment (Discussion) This item will begin no earlier
than 1:30 p.m. No action may be taken on a matter raised until
first placed on the agenda as an item upon which action will
be taken.

8. Discussion of Commission's Scope of Work and Action on
Appointment of Committees by the Commission Co-Chairs (Action)

9. Discussion and Action on Initial Implementation Steps (Action)

10. Discussion and Adoption of Future Public Meetings Calendar
(Action)

11. Adjournment (Action)
This notice has been posted on the California Resources Agency Web site at http://resources.ca.gov/TahoeFireCommission/ and has been posted on or before 9 a.m. on the third working day before the meeting at the following locations:

Lake Tahoe Community College
1 College Drive, Library Board Room
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources
901 South Stewart Street, Richard H. Bryan Building
Carson City, NV 89701-5244

Nevada State Capitol Building
101 North Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701

Nevada Legislative Building
401 South Carson Street
Carson City, NV 89701
Copies of the written materials will be made available to the public at the meeting location at the Lake Tahoe Community College, Library Board Room, 1 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, California 96150.

For information or documents (as indicated below) concerning the Commission meeting, please contact Dana Cole, Commission Staff Liaison, (916) 327-9631 or Dana.Cole@resources.ca.gov

Any written reports being provided to the Commission members in advance of the public meeting will also be available to the public upon request; and,

In accordance with Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, reasonable accommodations are available. Requests for reasonable accommodations should be made at least five working days prior to the meeting date. To request reasonable accommodations, including documents in alternative formats, please contact: Dana Cole, Commission Staff Liaison