Opinion -- Oregon Senate Should Launch Klamath Effort

The Editorial Board of the Oregonian weighs in on Senate Bill 76 -- legislation that is an important step toward dam removal in the Klamath Basin.

Senate Bill 76, which Oregon state senators will likely vote on today or Wednesday, would be the first official step in the complex effort to restore the health of the Klamath River basin.

The bill would give the Oregon Public Utility Commission the authority to set rates for PacifiCorp ratepayers' to pay their share of the costs of removing four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath. As important, it would put a lid of $180 million on ratepayers' costs.

Proponents of removing the four dams reached agreement with the utility, tribes, irrigators and fishing interests last year to proceed down the path of dam removal, instead of the utility trying to relicense them with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The river system is so far gone in terms of fish habitat, that any relicensing process would surely require expensive refitting of the dams to allow fish passage. The backers of what they now call their "agreement-in-principle" argue that removing the dams would be less costly ultimately than refitting them. The utility apparently agrees because, after lengthy negotiations, it signed on.

The money from Oregon ratepayers -- capped at $180 million -- would go into a trust fund and be available for use in the dam-removal project. The funds also would be available if refitting or some other alternative becomes the ultimate choice.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski backs the Klamath agreement and SB 76 and we recommend that the Senate approve it when it comes to the floor, likely today or Wednesday.

There are plenty of opportunities for something this complicated to fail, of course. Money-starved California has not signed up or agreed to pay its share yet. The federal regulators must approve it and they are on record as favoring refitting the dams over removing them. Some Upper Klamath ranchers and area tribes don't like the plan. Industrial utility customers have reservations. Dozens of individuals oppose it and implementation steps and studies need to take place.

But no effort to recover the Klamath, and keep it available for both upstream and downstream users, will ever get universal support. A failure to start moving now invites useless delay and an arbitrary solution in court or in Congress. Getting matters to this point has been a gargantuan task, not likely to be repeated if someone manages to torpedo the efforts of Sustainable Northwest, which convened the various interests and helped them reach their general agreement.

Senate Bill 76 allows Oregon to play its proper role of oversight and protection of PacificCorp's ratepayers by empowering the PUC to establish the financial framework and provide oversight. But the bill is far more than a technical tweak. It is the official beginning of an effort to save a vital river system and make history.

Learn more about Sustainable Northwest's work in the Klamath Basin