Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis Upholding rural Americans

Our Klamath Basin Water Crisis
Upholding rural Americans' rights to grow food,
own property, and caretake our wildlife and natural resources.

PRESS RELEASE

Friday, July 18, 2003

House Approves $2.6 Million Secured by Walden to Reimburse Klamath Basin Irrigators’ Operations and Maintenance Fees

Reimbursements to Klamath Basin irrigators caps week of fairness for Basin farmers and ranchers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The $2.6 million in refunds to Klamath Basin irrigators approved earlier this week by the House Appropriations Committee was passed by the full House of Representatives in a vote this afternoon. The refunds, which were included in the annual Energy and Water Appropriations bill, will reimburse farmers who were required by law to pay for the operation and maintenance of the irrigation system in the Klamath Project in 2001 despite receiving virtually no water as a result of a decision by the Department of the Interior. U.S. Congressman Greg Walden (R-OR) introduced the legislation that authorized the reimbursements, which was signed into law by President Bush in December of 2002.

“This has been an especially good week for the farmers and ranchers in the Klamath Basin,” said Walden. “Not only did we turn back an assault on the lease land farmers who plant crops in the Klamath Wildlife Refuges, but we also received a welcome bit of good news when Judge Armstrong confirmed that sound science is being utilized by federal managers and that the flow rates are appropriate. Now we’ve moved one step closer to getting reimbursements into the pockets of the farmers and ranchers who had to pay for operating and maintaining the canals in 2001 when the federal government cut off the water. Restoring fairness to the people who have suffered so much during the Klamath Basin water crisis is a long, methodical process, but step by step we’re making progress toward that important goal.”

In addition to the irrigators’ reimbursements, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill also included $3 million for the Klamath Project Water Bank program, as well as an additional $500,000 for long-term planning for the Klamath and Tule Lake Wildlife Refuges. The Senate must now pass its version of the Energy and Water bill before sending the measure to the President. If ultimately approved, the reimbursements would come during the 2004 fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2003.

Congressman Walden represents the 2^nd District of Oregon, which includes 20 counties in southern, central and eastern Oregon. He is a Deputy Whip and a member of both the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Resources.