By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times

The Trump administration is poised to abandon America’s pioneering fuel economy targets for cars and SUVs, a move that would undermine one of the world’s most aggressive programs to confront climate change and invite another major confrontation with California.

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce in the coming days that it will scrap mileage targets the Obama administration drafted in tandem with California that aim to boost average fuel economy for passenger cars and SUVs to 55 miles per gallon by 2025, according to people familiar with the plans.

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By Jenny Kane, Reno Gazette-Journal

Burning Man tickets disappeared on Wednesday faster than untethered tents in a playa dust storm. 

The 2018 Burning Man event presumably sold out 26,000 main sale tickets within a half hour, as purchasers began receiving notices that tickets were no longer available, though some vehicle passes were left. 

Burning Man, which attracts 68,000 people to Northern Nevada’s Black Rock Desert each year, will be Aug. 26-Sept. 3 this year. The theme for the 2018 celebration is “I, Robot.” 

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By Colton Lochhead, Las Vegas Review-Journal

A public employee’s personal devices are open to public inspection under the state’s public records laws, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.

“We conclude that the (Nevada Public Records Act) does not categorically exempt public records maintained on private devices or servers from disclosure,” Justice Michael Cherry wrote in the opinion, which was unanimously affirmed by the six other justices. “To withhold a public record from disclosure, the government entity must present, with particularity, the grounds on which a given public record is exempt.”

The ruling overturns a decision by Washoe County District Court Judge Steven Kosach determining that records on personal devices and accounts are not subject to public inspection because they are outside the control of the public agency.

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To address Truckee’s sustainability goals, programs will be introduced to residents within the incorporated area beginning this summer with the goal of eliminating the need for residents to purchase recycling and yard waste plastic bags, preventing recycling contamination, and increasing the amount of materials that can be recycled.

To participate, Truckee residents must opt in and indicate how many yard waste and recycling carts they would like delivered to their property by completing an online form.

The waste carts are projected to prevent up to 3 million plastic bags from being landfilled over the next 10 years.

As part of the new waste hauling services contracted by Truckee, one 64-gallon recycling cart serviced on alternating weeks, and up to three 96-gallon yard waste carts will be provided to residents who opt in. Additional carts will be available for a fee.

All Truckee residents will begin new yard waste services in 2018. After June 30, green bags will not be accepted, however additional yard waste disposal services will be offered including discounted dumpster rental and complimentary drop-off services at Eastern Regional Landfill.

WoodmenLife is sponsoring the “America Is…” video contest to get elementary school students excited about their country, and to show pride in their school and community. 

By sharing a 30-60 second video on the topic “What America means to me,” students and school representatives have the opportunity to win up to $2,500 for their school. The videos will be viewed on WoodmenLife’s Facebook page where the public can vote for their favorite. Prizes will be awarded to the top three videos with the most online votes.

The deadline to enter is April 26. Facebook fans will then cast votes from April 30-May 11. Contest winners will be announced May 14.

More info is available online.

Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s board of directors will discuss the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP) & Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMRs) on April 4. 

The board will consider a power sales contract with the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems for the CFPP.

The Truckee Donner PUD has been investigating the potential of SMRs since 2015. There were a series of workshops earlier this year.

The agenda item is part of the board’s regular meeting, which starts at 6pm at 11570 Donner Pass Road.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal

Tahoe’s drastic, late-season snowpack recovery was the weather equivalent to the TV show “Fuller House,” a sequel that fueled nostalgia for the early 1990s but didn’t quite measure up to the original.

From March 1 through Sunday snowpack in the Lake Tahoe area grew from 25 to 73 percent of the median peak for the basin, an increase of 48 percentage points. 

The recovery was enough to push the season’s snow totals from dismal to respectable and conjure memories of the “Miracle March,” of 1991.

But by the numbers it fell slightly short of matching that legendary period.

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Squaw Valley Institute will be honoring Steve McKinney, a pioneer in U.S. skiing known as the “speed king,” on April 12.

He will be awarded a posthumous Hall of Fame honor for his groundbreaking role in extreme and speed skiing. He was an American alpine skier and mountaineer who is acknowledged as an early pioneer in the sport of extreme skiing. In 1978 McKinney broke speed records with a run clocked at 124.137 mph, making him the first skier to break the 200km/h barrier. He then went on to set seven world speed skiing records around the globe between 1974-87. In the 1980s, McKinney became an accomplished mountain climber. In 1986 he led an expedition to Mount Everest during which he became the first person to fly a hang-glider off the highest mountain in the world.
 
A keynote will be given by world record speed skier and noted ski journalist Dick Dorworth. Dorworth was one of McKinney’s closest lifelong friends and ski partner.

Tamara McKinney, Steve McKinney’s younger sister, will share intimate inside perspectives on the life and legends of McKinney with never before seen movie footage. Tamara McKinney her is a World Cup champion and Olympian with a ski career that is unrivaled.

The evening will be topped off with music performance with Barry Thys and the Nomads and Kendal Naughton as well as special performance guests Jeff Martin, Debbie Dutton as well as Olympian, Marcus Naish.

The event will be at the Olympic Village Lodge in Squaw Valley. Admission is free for SVI members. Admission with advance ticket purchase is $20 per adult, $10 per child/student and $25 per adult at the door. Doors open at 5pm, opening presentation starts at 6pm. Cash bar and pizza by Fireside will be available for purchase.

·      Truckee will host an informational workshop on April 16 at 2:30pm at the town hall regarding the planned expenditures of funds on road maintenance and improvement projects for fiscal year 2017-18.

·      Homewood Mountain Resort is extending its season to April 15.

·      Earth Day will be celebrated in South Lake Tahoe on April 28 from 10am-3pm at Bijou Community Park. 

·      Douglas County commissioners will be having special budget meetings on April 2 at 11am, April 3 at 9am and April 4 at 1pm. All will be at the Minden offices.

·      Active duty service members, reservists, National Guard members, military retirees and veterans will receive free tickets for the 29th annual American Century Championship July 10-15 in Stateline. Request tickets by going online.

Milfoil was first discovered in the Tahoe Keys in the 1980s and curly pondweed in 2003. Photo/LTN

By Kathryn Reed

No one foresees the threat of aquatic invasive species going away, so permanent inspection stations for boats are probably going to become the norm in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The first one is likely to be built in the Spooner Summit area. Nevada and U.S. Forest Service officials are studying it as part of the Highway 28 upgrades.

This is the 10th year the AIS program has been in existence under the purview of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. It’s a multi-faceted program that involves several agencies.

The goals include keeping out new invasive species and trying to reduce or eradicate the ones that exist.

Inspecting boats before they launch at Lake Tahoe is one way to keep AIS out of the water. In 2017 no new invasives were detected. However, there were 38 boats that were intercepted that had known AIS, with seven of those being mussels that can be devastating to a water body.

Of the 8,870 inspections conducted last year, 67 percent of the boats arrived here clean, drained and dry.

This season a new decontamination trailer will be used that should speed up the process and mean fewer trips around the lake by the service technician. Truckee will be getting new equipment so it can handle more complex boats.

While it’s not mandatory yet, TRPA is lobbying state and federal officials for inspections when boats leave a body known for having invasives – especially mussels. Lake Mead is one of those areas local officials would like to see have more stringent rules because it has the destructive mussels.

“Education is key so the public understands what we are doing and why,” Dennis Zabaglo, TRPA aquatic resources program manager, told the TRPA board at its meeting March 28 in Kings Beach.

Besides inspecting boats, the agency with partners are using a variety of techniques to curb infestations already in the lake. Some are more successful than others.

The UV light pilot project at Lakeside Marina to get rid of invasive weeds has been positive, with monitoring continuing.

Mats used on a 6-acre plot at Sand Harbor to stamp out the clam problem didn’t work as planned, with the infestation spreading to 20 acres. TRPA is working with Nevada agencies to chart another course. A clam harvester could be the next tool that is used.

Tahoe Keys and Ski Run Marina are two of the problem areas. The Keys has submitted an application to regulatory agencies to use herbicides in the canals of the South Lake Tahoe neighborhood. A decision has not been made to grant that request.

Officials continue to look at all available resources including LiDAR, aeration system and working with the boating industry to develop engine components that would keep out AIS.

The rapid response plan in case there is a serious threat detected will be revised this year, which will include a practice scenario.

TRPA is also finding that lab results are taking longer because more agencies are testing for AIS. A secondary lab has been secured if needed.