Thursday, March 27, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Wednesday discussed the issue, then referred it to an advisory panel.
But some regional planners said it might not be feasible to inspect powerboats to ensure they are properly tuned for high altitudes.
Under the proposal, boats that stay at Lake Tahoe would be inspected for proper tuning.
Boaters from out of the area would have to purchase day-use tags, even if their vessels do not meet emissions requirements. Money collected from tags would be used to fund air and water quality measures.
Environmentalists say oil from boat engines contributes to the demise of the lake's clarity.
Last month, the TRPA voted to ban smaller, two-stroke engines from the lake beginning in 1999 in an effort to curb pollution.
Two-stroke engines commonly are found on jet skies, other personal watercraft and smaller boats.
Critics charge the ban will turn Lake Tahoe into a playground for the wealthy.
David Rice, conservation education chief with the Nevada Division of Wildlife, said a ban on two-stroke engines would cut 99 percent of watercraft use on Lake Tahoe.
He also said it discriminates against seniors and people on lower incomes who cannot afford the cleaner-burning, more expensive four-cycle engines typically found in larger boats.
The ban does not apply to inboard engines and four-stroke outboard motors.
"You've set up a lake for the very wealthy," Rice said.
"There will be inboards and a very few people that have outboard four-strokes," he said. "The rest of us will be out of luck."
The ban also will keep many anglers from fishing at Tahoe, opponents said.
"The majority of fishermen have two-cycle engines," Fran Oppio, owner of Sierra Sport & Marine in Sparks, told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
"If you eliminate the two-cycle engine, you're eliminating the grandfather who goes up to Tahoe to fish."
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