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Dams: PacifiCorp Vice President
Dean Brockbank addressed the Board of Supervisors concerning
the Agreement In Principle ( >AIP
) recently signed for the four lower dams on the
Klamath River. The parties to this agreement are
PacifiCorp, the Governors of California and
Oregon> and the Department of
Interior.
Although there has been a great
deal of pressure on the utility by both States and the Bush
Administration to remove the dams, Brockbank stated that the
AIP is not a dam removal agreement. It is
an agreement that “contemplates” dam removal only if certain
conditions are met.
PacifiCorp stated that in coming to the
agreement, it had assessed various risks: (1) The potential
cost of relicensing, (fish screens, fish ladders and water
quality measures,) appears prohibitive; (2) Instream flow
and other permitting conditions may reduce the amount of
electricity that could be generated, rendering the operation
financially non-viable; (3) Both States must provide 401
Clean Water Act certification for dams and hydro facilities
in order for the FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
relicensing to occur and it appeared there might be
difficulty with California; and (4) There is a risk of
litigation.
The AIP
will impose several conditions that are to be met before the
Secretary of Interior makes a decision whether or not to
proceed with dam removal. Certain legislation must be passed
on State and federal levels. In a span of about three years
and under the oversight of the Bureau of Reclamation,
studies will be done to include: (1) An analysis of the
impacts of dam removal on the Klamath Project and the entire
Klamath River system; (2) Assessment of costs
and liabilities of dam removal; (3) engineering; and (4)
various scientific studies.
In the next several months, a final
hydropower agreement will be hammered out by a group that
will consist of parties that crafted the Klamath Basin
Restoration Agreement.
Siskiyou
County
Economic Development Council (SCEDC): The SCEDC was
recently honored for its outstanding website
http://www.siskiyoucounty.org/ One of the exciting
features is the “Prospector” – a search engine for business
properties available in our countywide Enterprise Zone.
Another feature of the Prospector is the capability to
create demographic and business reports. Check it out! |
