LAKE TAHOE – Calif./ Nev. – A coalition of conservation groups, including the Sierra Club – Tahoe Area Group, North Tahoe Preservation Alliance, Friends of the West Shore, Tahoe East Shore Alliance, and TahoeCleanAir.org, are urging the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) to prioritize a comprehensive wildfire evacuation analysis for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

In a recent letter to TRPA, the groups expressed concerns over what they describe as a failure to produce a detailed evacuation capacity study—an assessment they argue is critical for understanding how quickly residents and visitors could safely leave the area in the event of a fast-moving wildfire under extreme conditions. They assert that despite repeated public requests, TRPA has not required such an analysis for new area plans or major development projects.

“Through its inaction, TRPA continues to enable a dangerous circumstance, under which land use
planners and the public are robbed of being able to make an informed judgment as to the true status of sufficient roadway wildfire evacuation capacity resulting from Area Plans and major projects,” stated the conservation groups in a press release.

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Given the basin’s limited roadways and high fire risk, the groups are calling for TRPA to temporarily pause approvals for new developments until a thorough evacuation study is conducted. They also urge the agency to update regional plans to include evacuation modeling as a standard requirement for future projects. The conservation groups emphasize the need to incorporate modern data and technology in assessing potential evacuation scenarios, including challenges such as roadblocks, communication failures, and multiple fire outbreaks.

Without such an analysis, they argue, planners and the public lack the necessary information to make informed decisions about development and safety in the region.

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The conservation groups emphasize the need for TRPA to align with the California Attorney General’s Best Practices for Analyzing and Mitigating Wildfire Impacts, specific to wildfire evacuation modeling. The letter outlines detailed requirements for a comprehensive evacuation analysis, including traffic modeling, assessment of evacuation timing, and consideration of various emergency scenarios.

TRPA Responds

TRPA Public Information Officer Jeff Cowen defended the agency’s role, stating that while emergency response and evacuation planning fall under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement and fire agencies, TRPA remains engaged in regional discussions.

“Public safety, especially during emergencies, is a major concern for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and everyone who lives, works, and visits here,” Cowen said. He pointed to a recent column by South Lake Tahoe Fire Chief Jim Drennan, who highlighted the collaborative nature of evacuation planning and the role of multiple agencies in the process.

Cowen noted that TRPA has prioritized forest fuel reduction along evacuation routes and power line corridors to lower wildfire risks. Additionally, the agency recently secured a $1.7 million federal PROTECT grant to support regional evacuation planning and strengthen the basin’s transportation and communication infrastructure in the face of wildfires and extreme weather. However, the impact of recent federal executive orders on this funding remains uncertain.

According to TRPA, emergency management and fire agencies released a regional evacuation plan for public review on Sept. 10, 2024. While TRPA facilitated early discussions on regional coordination, Cowen clarified that the agency does not conduct emergency evacuation planning itself.

“We understand that this process must consider Tahoe’s most vulnerable community members, many of whom do not have access to a car during an evacuation,” he said. He cited TRPA’s 2023 Transportation Equity Study, which examined the needs of underrepresented residents in evacuation scenarios.

Since 2008, TRPA reports that more than 75,000 defensible space inspections have been completed, 72,000 acres of forest treated for fuel reduction, and nearly all U.S. Forest Service and state-owned conservation lands in the Tahoe Basin have undergone initial fuel reduction treatments.

“We recognize that TRPA has a duty to help protect and enhance public safety within our role in the Tahoe Basin and do so at multiple levels,” Cowen said, referencing recent initiatives such as the update of the Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan and the adoption of the Vision Zero safety strategy.

While TRPA acknowledges the importance of wildfire evacuation planning, conservation groups maintain that a dedicated evacuation capacity study is necessary to ensure the safety of Tahoe’s residents and visitors.

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Zoe Meyer is a reporter for the Sierra Sun, a sister publication for Tahoe Daily Tribune. She can be reached at zmeyer@sierrasun.com.