UPDATE:
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman sent out a press release this morning confirming that Wednesday’s “major announcement” on the Klamath River will include the signing of the reshaped agreement to remove four dams that have clogged the river for decades.
“The signing of this new agreement to tear out the Klamath River’s aging hydropower dams brings us one step closer to rebuilding one of the West Coast’s most important rivers,” he said in the release. “I am very pleased at the commitment in the highest levels of the state and federal governments in working toward one of the greatest restoration projects in history.”
See the full press release from Huffman’s office copied at the bottom of this post.
PREVIOUSLY:
Just months after dam removal efforts on the Klamath River seemed to suffer a catastrophic setback, California Gov. Jerry Brown, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and a host of officials will gather near the river’s mouth Wednesday to make a “major announcement about water supply reliability, environmental restoration and hydroelectric dams.”
It’s unclear exactly what the announcement will be, but it’s expected the officials will present a ratification of a new deal to revive what’s been dubbed the largest dam removal project in the nation’s history. The press release says only that the officials will be making an announcement that will “further progress toward the largest river restoration project in U.S. history.”
The deal, struck in principle back in February, would see the states of Oregon and California form a nonprofit corporation to take over ownership of the dams from PacifiCorp, the energy company that currently owns the dams. The nonprofit would then rely on existing federal authority to decommission and remove the dams with funds already generated from PacifiCorp ratepayers and a California water bond.
“A free-flowing river with hundreds of additional miles of salmon habitat will replace a river plagued by aging, fish block dams that don’t produce much power,” wrote North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman in a recent op-ed for the Sacramento Bee.
Hope for prompt dam removal on the Klamath River seemed lost late last year, when Congress failed to pass legislation that would have moved the Klamath Agreements — a total of three pacts reached by stakeholders along the 255-mile-long river — forward, allowing for removal of the dams, watershed restoration projects, and water and energy security for farmers and ranchers in Oregon.
While a deal has been struck to revise the Klamath Basin Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and remove the dams, it’s unclear what will become of the two other pacts that made up the Klamath Agreements. Officials have seemed optimistic about salvaging the other aspects of the agreements, securing some measure of water security for Oregon irrigators and ranchers, river restoration funding and economic stability for the Klamath Tribes of Oregon.
Despite the signing ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, there are some still working to scuttle the newly forged dam removal deal. As Huffman wrote in the Bee, some Republican members of Congress are arguing that the deal is illegal and the Klamath County Commissioners recently penned a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission urging it to oppose dam removal, which the commissioners argue would have dangerous environmental consequences and increase flooding threats to communities along the river.
In the Bee, Huffman said there is widespread, grassroots support for dam removal, despite some entrenched Republican opposition.
“While we recognize that some of our colleagues feel compelled to say that the Klamath’s dams should stay where they are — a politically popular stance in some corners — it’s hypocritical for self-proclaimed free market, states’ rights politicians to block a private party from unloading assets through a longstanding, congressionally approved process,” Huffman wrote. “It’s long past time for the Klamath dams to come out, and for local stakeholders to begin the work of resuscitating a major West Coast river without being burdened by interference and obstruction from Washington.”
For more on the history of the Klamath Agreements, see past Journal coverage here. For more on the new deal, click here. And, find the press release about Wednesday’s “major announcement” copied below.
Secretary Jewell, Governors of California and Oregon, Tribal Leaders & Water Users to Make Major Announcement on Klamath River Dams, Restoration
KLAMATH, Calif. – On Wednesday, April 6, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Interior Deputy Secretary Michael Connor will join Governor of California Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Governor of Oregon Kate Brown to make a major announcement about environmental restoration, water reliability and hydroelectric dams along the 263-mile Klamath River. Federal, state and Native American tribal leaders, businesses, non-governmental organizations and water users will also join in the announcement, which will further progress toward the largest river restoration project in U.S. history.
Earlier this year, the States of Oregon and California, PacifiCorp and the federal government – through the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce – announced an agreement-in-principle to move forward with amending the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). Under the agreement-in-principle, the parties to the KHSA would pursue its implementation through the administrative process governed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), using existing funding and on the same timeline, to develop terms of an amendment to the KHSA to implement its key provisions, including providing for facilities removal.
Members of the California and Oregon delegations introduced legislation in the past two Congresses to advance the hard-fought KHSA and two related Klamath agreements; however, the U.S. Congress adjourned last year without acting on legislation to authorize them.
WHO:
Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior
Michael L. Connor, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior
Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor of California
Kate Brown, Governor of Oregon
Stefan Bird, Pacific Power President and CEO
Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA Administrator
Native American Tribes
Non-Governmental Organizations
Klamath Basin Water Users
WHAT:
Major announcement about water supply reliability, environmental restoration and hydroelectric dams along the Klamath River
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
9:45 a.m. PDT – Media check-in
10:00 a.m. PDT – Meeting begins
WHERE:
Requa Resort Boat Ramp
Yurok Reservation
Klamath, California 95548
Directions: From 101 North make a left onto Requa Road. At the Requa Inn make a slight left onto Mouth of Klamath Road. Mouth of Klamath Road runs directly into the Boat Ramp parking area.
From Huffman’s Office:
Washington—This Wednesday, April 6th, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) will speak at the signing of the Historic Klamath Agreement along with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Interior Deputy Secretary Michael Connor will join Governor of California Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Governor of Oregon Kate Brown.
“The signing of this new agreement to tear out the Klamath River’s aging hydropower dams brings us one step closer to rebuilding one of the West Coast’s most important rivers,” said Rep. Jared Huffman. “I am very pleased at the commitment in the highest levels of the state and federal governments in working toward one of the greatest restoration projects in history.”
Congressman Huffman has been very active on pushing for congressional action on the Klamath settlement. You can read more about his work here, and read his op-ed on the topic here.
This article appears in Sanity on Trial.
I just call kate Brown letting her know that Don Gentry has no permission to sign anything that is presented on April 6. He would need it to be approved by General Council. Don will be in violation if he dose proceeds according to our constitution everything needs to GC.
Remove those harmful dams!!!!!!!
The environment could care less what humans decide in our “society” …
Those dams have harmed so much and need to be removed before things get even worse
Some, maybe many will see this announcement as a great step forward for the health and fish of the Klamath River Basin. Many communities have long fought for this action to occur including myself. But there is another aspect that is being ignored, that being the degraded habitat that we have up above the California, Oregon state line. From Keno Dam to the very headwaters we have severely degraded water riparian habitat. This habitat is so bad we have had our cwamm (sucker fish to some) fisheries listed under ESA since 1987. There has been little progress made since then to improve those conditions and these fish continue to suffer.
The funding to address thie degraded habitat was included in the now defunct KBRA. Promises were made to the Klamath Tribes to address these issues fell with the KBRA. What will occur when steelhead and salmon finally get home to the Upper Klamath Basin and cannot re-establish themselves due to poor habitat and poor water conditions? I think we all know the answer to that question.
If you closely examine the now defunct KBRA and its budget you will see the costs at that time when they were developed. The cost was in the hundreds of $ millions. Many years have gone by since we agreed to that budget. I believe that those costs have undoubtedly risen since then.
So when you all are patting each other on the back while standing on that dock over the KHSA and allowing PacifiCorp to have its cake with extra frosting. Please remember that the Upper Klamath Basin has fisheries up here on the ESA list that are on the brink of extinction due to poor water and habitat issues.
More promises made but once again it appears we will get screwed again, right John Bezdek?
Mohiwaqs
A song title comes to mind: LIES by the Thompson Twins. Lyrics come to mind: Lies Lies Lies yeah!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6cn0mLJVZY
are these guys doin these signings to keep constant publicity? why doesnt pac-corp pay for the destruction of a fishery and way of life for humans and nature? how can the company make rate-payers pay for the removal? talk about fishy!!
get out and speak up people of true nor cal!! if the dams are dropped alot of fish and wildlife will return to the watershed. klamath falls has a lot of water. the watershed is huge up in the head-waters . many rivers and springs……everyone just has to find the balance in yourselves to live with change…we have to restore the devastation for our kids to know there is hope to save what has been taken in the last 200 years….and leave a better legacy than our grandfathers have left us…….it can be real..it can happen. it is up to “them”who have the “power” though
We dont want anything to do with this. Why? We have Senior water rights. :]
The earth has senior water rights. We just stole them with greed for money. Us whites came and destroyed the way of life that was sustained for thousands of years. Don’t be so naive people. Open your minds
I am for these removals. But, cut the ceremony and give us real detailed info. There are lots of us who kayak, canoe, raft and fish this river. Where can we find an understandable summary of the specific removals, posssible time frames, and the effect on flows for the different sections of the river? Less pomp, more meat in the publicity please.
The real people who fought for dam removal are not pictured or present at this agreement signing. The dams will have to come down without and it violates tribal sovereign rights. The agreement also gave deconstruction contractors a no liability pass, ask yourself, why? and who’s getting the $ ? Everyone is going to go spend all their money and then we could face a major disaster with these no liability clauses, and then they will come back for more. Ranchers are being paid off and Tribes treaty sovereignty is violated. Remove the dams without the agreements to pay off all these greedy people. Many members of the tribes are not represented in these agreements.
We want the dams removed, we want the waterways restored, we want the diversions and pollution to the waterways stopped and healthy balance back to the rivers and streams, but this agreement and its parallel agreement is not only unnecessary, it is illegal in my opinion, the TC of the Klamath Tribes has no right to enter into an agreement on behalf of all the people without consent, and that gives favor to certain parties of this agreement and guaranteed water rights that are not theirs to agree to or give. We had a DIN, a dispute notice in, and without any further discussion or decision with our governing party, which is the General Council the Tribal Council reps and the Water negotiating team have been secretly and consistently meeting with these parties and leaving the will and the rights of the general membership unrepresented and unaccounted for.
They should be removed under the FERC process because they are a hazard, not including any of these agreements. Groups with interest in payouts got together to craft agreements where certain people would get paid for retiring rights, for undefined or unregulated conservation, and for guaranteed irrigator water. Also as a voter and public citizen, why would anyone enter in an agreement that effectively gives no liability for losses or damage to the subcontractors? Doesn’t that sound like a disaster waiting to happen. I encourage all to read the lengthy agreements, and ask yourself, why is this in here? why is that in here? It’s a move in the west to keep water abusers out of federal court litigation, which is exactly where they should be.
My children were looking for CA MC-200 yesterday and saw a web service that has lots of fillable forms . If you are interested in CA MC-200 too , here’s https://goo.gl/1yIdmN.