Bill Yeates talks about keeping Tahoe blue

This week, I listened to Bill Yeates, chair of the  Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), in a lecture sponsored by the California Environmental Law and Policy Center. The Lake Tahoe watershed crosses two states and numerous local political boundaries. Thus, the TRPA governing board is comprised of 15 members—seven from California, seven from Nevada, and one non-voting United States presidential appointee.

Bill, a friend of UC Davis School of Law alum Charity Kenyon '77 and appointed to the TRPA by then-Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg '84 in 2013,  talked about the work of the TRPA. As he described, Yeates seeks to:  “contribute to the environmental sustainability of Lake Tahoe by approving area plans that when implemented achieve the environmental thresholds for protecting Lake Tahoe. I also believe that TRPA can implement the 2012 Regional Plan in a way that provides for sustainable communities that meet the economic and social needs of the people who live and work in the Tahoe Basin. It will be a challenge, but a challenge worth taking on.”

Yeates discussed the history of Lake Tahoe, the third deepest lake in North America, and the TRPA's and others' efforts to keep Lake Tahoe pristine, and places like Emerald Bay beautiful. Our students and faculty were lucky to hear from someone as accomplished and knowledgeable as Yeates, and to learn about his important work.