appointed by the South Lake Tahoe city council Two members appointed by the Governor of California One member appointed by the speaker of the California State Assembly One member appointed by the California State Senate rules committee Nevada delegation (7 members): One member appointed by the Douglas County board of county commissioners One member appointed by the Washoe County board of county commissioners One member appointed by the Carson City board of supervisors One member appointed by the Governor of Nevada The Nevada Secretary of State (or his designee) The director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (or his designee) One member chosen by the other members of the Nevada delegation One non-voting member chosen by the President of the United States At present, the make up is composed of seven trained as attorneys (with the Executive Director licensed to practice law in Washington DC), five elected politicians, two environmentalists, and the Deputy Director from the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Controversy and criticism Since the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency must regulate how individuals develop their property within a fragile environment, controversy and criticism are no strangers. The agency, by way of working with the community and stakeholders, has set limits on the amount of land that can be covered by buildings and pavement, called land coverage, on an individual parcel (ranging from 1% in highly sensitive areas to 30% in the least sensitive areas). TRPA has been collecting scientific research on the effects of development on Lake Tahoe's clarity for more than 35 years, and regulating land coverage has been one of the most effective tools in protecting water quality, scenery, air quality, wildlife, forests, and in providing better recreation opportunities. Property rights groups representing developers and real estate interests have repeatedly sued TRPA to weaken or eliminate environmental restrictions in the Tahoe Region. Real estate representatives and property rights groups have charged that the agency is too powerful and goes far beyond environmental protection, asserting that restrictions on development of private property violate the Takings Clause in the U.S. constitution. There is also concern over the scientific evidence TRPA uses to form its regulations. For example, for more than twenty years, construction of new piers in "prime fish habitat" areas was prohibited, but studies were later released that showed some manmade structures in "feeding and escape cover" habitat areas could actually benefit fish