Response to KRRC (dam destruction corporation) Budget for Klamath Devastation

by Rex Cozzalio, 4th generation rancher by Iron Gate 3/9/2020

In yet another manipulative press release, paid by you, Klamath River ‘Reallocation’ Corporation praises their latest revised ‘concrete step’ towards Klamath devastation, hoping to compel FERC ‘approval’ before evident realities become publicly known.  Like their ‘Plan’ of escalating broken-promises and cost cuts to ‘match’ your conscripted funds, their ‘concrete step’ eliminates cement, leaving only shifting sand beneath our feet.

With the sole corporate purpose to carry out regional destruction (again paid by you) no matter the consequence, there is only ONE ‘agreed’ exception to intended execution.  That exception is if ANY of the special interest signatories, contributing nothing, who all continue to benefit regardless of outcome, might be held accountable for ANY of those imposed damages.  Sweet deal…

Remember, KRRC’s ONLY objective is site specific infrastructure destruction by any means possible, and their only necessity is to manipulate your ‘capped’ money enough to protect the signatories, NOT you.  To that end, the emerging site specific studies, also paid by you, confirming area historic documentation and resident experienced Project environmental and regional benefits, are being specifically excluded by the signatories and their policy directed agencies until AFTER  irreversible destruction and our inescapable path to attrition is ‘approved’. 

To compel FERC ‘approval’, in their latest ‘Definite Plan’, KRRC desperately attempts to cut costs by pushing even more countless promises to an unaccountable future, and places at least 4 legal barriers between signatories and the majority of known damages caused residents and the environment.  To overwhelm the unfamiliar with an illusion of objectivity, they compile reams of selectively biased ‘models’ ignoring local devastation and loss. 

Even for the small handful of damages KRRC acknowledges, at the same time they are telling those personally harmed that they ‘cannot answer their questions at this time’, KRRC is telling FERC and you that their ‘robust’ Plan is ready and cannot wait any longer for approval or the world will fall apart.  They imply that any damages will be ‘addressed’ later by hiring  yet another ‘in-between’ limited liability corporation (RES) at an exorbitant amount to ‘monitor’, ‘report’, and ‘consider’ what damages they choose to acknowledge and ‘defend’ against.  RES would draw from KRRC’s ‘conceptual’ Local Mitigation Fund, which amounts might be helpful to know were that chapter not REDACTED as ‘PRIVILEDGED’.  That insanity might leave the affected public unable to make a reasonable assessment of adequacy, were it not that KRRC’s previous already responsibility-limited ‘Definite Plan’ high end estimate exceeded available funds by over 60 million dollars.  With all of that obfuscation, KRRC somehow now magically claims they are ‘well under’ your conscripted available money?  Feel secure?

For debatable reasons, FERC decided to split the ‘approval process’ for destruction application into two steps, License Transfer and License Surrender.  FERC has stated that any consideration of License Transfer from PacifiCorp to the KRRC shell corporation will involve NO Environmental review.  That means FERC is FIRST deciding whether your capped funds are ‘sufficient’, and whether the KHSA signatories can be held ‘harmless from liability’ based COMPLETELY upon the KHSA/KRRC’s OWN SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS and hired ‘consultants’, REGARDLESS of actual environmental/economic outcome.  As a result, IF License Transfer is ‘approved’, Klamath destruction becomes a certainty.  Even though the subsequent ’License Surrender’ application WOULD involve an environmental review, that review would NOT decide IF destruction should occur, only HOW.  NO history, recent studies, or current alternatives compounding greater benefits at a fraction of the cost would be considered, only HOW capped funds are allocated between participants to ensure destruction. 

The KRRC ‘Definite Plan’ already ignores the vast majority of known direct and indirect massive environmental and economic damages, and already functionally defers the private damages it does acknowledge.  Even considering the limited accountability the ‘Definite Plan’ acknowledges, given a priority of ‘agreed’ destruction, any shortages or overruns will leave those ‘non signatories’ least able and most harmed to fend for themselves.  Therefore, the only path left for those already suffering major damages would be to fight massive legal barriers and a shell corporation having no value placed between themselves and unaccountable ‘agreement’ signatories.  Current ‘assurances’ from signatories pushing FERC for ‘approval’, insisting they will ‘work together’ if your money runs out, are intentionally worthless.  Even if self-serving special interests make last minute media spectacle ‘contributions’ using donations or taxpayer confiscated funds in order to ‘assure’ destruction,  they still accept ZERO liability and will be able to ‘direct’ that money as they choose, NONE of which will go to ‘mitigate’ economic damages.

If allowed to happen, as seen before, further loss heaped upon the existing mountain of imposed policy failure will simply result in continued history revisionist media spin and INCREASED unaccountable ‘adaptively managed’ authority, uncompensated confiscation, and  regional regression.

Please let FERC know your opposition.

Rex Cozzalio

Rex is one of 4 generations at the same location directly below Iron Gate, before and after.

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