May 7, 2009

* Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar sends support for Klamath settlement and restoration; Bureau of Reclamation funds dam removal feasibility study.

* SB 76 offers economical solutions that recover fisheries, stabilize rural communities and save money for rate and taxpayers.

Salem, OR – Efforts to secure fish and farms in the Klamath Basin move forward today with the first hearing of SB 76 in the House Environment & Water Committee (Rep. Ben Cannon, Chair).  The bill, which passed the OR Senate in late February, caps and saves ratepayer costs for dam removal.  It is part of a proposed settlement – the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement – that will restore the Basin’s fisheries and bring stability to the tribal, commercial fishing and agricultural communities that depend on and steward the area’s resources.

SB 76 has garnered the support of a wide variety of interests ranging from ratepayer groups such as the Citizens Utility Board, to commercial groups such as the Oregon Business Association, to a large spectrum of Oregon’s conservation community (see, SB 76 coalition letter, attached). 

Groups involved in Klamath basin settlement efforts urge speedy House action on the bill, which they see as an essential first step towards the larger recovery efforts that will also include support from the federal government.  The bill is critical for other components of the settlement efforts to fall into place. 

Two important recent actions from the Department of Interior add momentum to the settlement effort. Secretary Ken Salazar has written Governor Kulongoski describing the proposed settlement as “the type of common sense approach consistent with the vision of natural resources administration that the President and I share.” Steve Kandra, of the Klamath Water Users Association commented on the Secretary’s recent statements: “We did hard work to find practical compromises; we were glad to hear directly from the Secretary that ‘failure is not an option,’ and that he is joining us in moving to solutions.” 

Also, last month, the Bureau of Reclamation received four million dollars in economic stimulus money to commission studies on the feasibility of removing dams on the Klamath River to help struggling salmon runs. 

At the same time, negotiations continue towards a Final Agreement between PacifiCorp (the owner of the Klamath dams), the governments of California, Oregon and the United States, and diverse tribes, conservation, fishing, agricultural and tribal groups. 

“We have been working very hard and are making progress in these negotiations,” said Jeff Mitchell of the Klamath Tribes.  “Signing SB 76 into law will ensure that not a day is wasted to arrive at the removal that all parties have agreed is essential to fixing the Basin.” 

Karl Scronce, President of the newly-formed Upper Klamath Water Users Association, which represents landowners above Klamath Lake that support the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement further noted: “We are not anti-dam, we are pro-agriculture in our community.  Recovery of the Klamath fisheries is an essential element in providing all Klamath Basin irrigators stability in the future.” 

SB 76 is one component of a broader set of measures that Secretary Salazar says create “the opportunity to bring about a final and lasting resolution to the challenging issues that have engulfed the Klamath River Basin, and do [so] in a manner that sustains irrigated agriculture, protects tribal water and fishery, and other resource interests, and provides for recovery of listed species under the Endangered Species Act.”   

SB 76 echoes the common-sense, solutions oriented approach of the entire Basin settlement.  “This bill is clearly a win-win for Oregon.  It funds removing obsolete Klamath dams that would cost far more to fix than to simply take down, it helps restore the nation's third largest salmon river, and it protects PacifiCorp's customers from having unlimited liability on these inevitable costs," said Glen Spain, Northwest Regional Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA). 

From its introduction in January to present, the bill has been amended several times in consultation with Oregon ratepayer groups to ensure that PUC expert oversight is available at every step in the process, and the bill provides a clear cost cap to Oregon ratepayers.  James Honey of Sustainable Northwest noted, “Hard and necessary work came before the bill arrived in committee today.  We are hopeful that House members will recognize the ratepayer protections that resulted and move the bill expediently.  A lot of people, jobs, and communities – and the river – hang in the balance.”

Klamath Tribes of Oregon • Karuk Tribe • Yurok Tribe • Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations • American Rivers  • Trout Unlimited •  Klamath Water Users Association •  Sustainable Northwest • Upper Klamath Water Users Association