Re: "Tahoe growth push ignores evacuation risk, housing strain," Aug. 5:

A recent opinion column in the RGJ has included some accusations that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and its governing board is compromising public safety and harming citizens, specifically in Washoe County. I hope to provide useful facts so our citizens can make up their own minds.

The first accusation is that rampant development in the basin is endangering our citizens with increased tourism, traffic and overbuilding that may limit any evacuation in case of wildfire. TRPA has included Tahoe Basin fire chiefs in deliberations and meetings for years. As recently as May , they and Emergency Management representatives from California and Nevada pointed out the lessons learned from both local fires (incl

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