Discord rumors in water talks just that
Klamath River Settlement participants are striving
to reach a November deadline despite rumors of
discord.
Those
not involved in the negotiations are attempting to
detract from the process because they are not
pleased with aspects of the settlement, said several
representatives
No one group will be
completely pleased with the final settlement, they
acknowledged.
However, the settlement would allow rural,
coastal and tribal communities and wildlife to avoid
crises such as the 2001 irrigation shutoff in the
Klamath Basin and the 2002 the salmon die-off.
“We can have fishing and farming, but we
have to sit down and work at it,” said Craig Tucker,
Klamath Campaign coordinator
for the Karuk Tribe.
Members involved
The Klamath River Settlement group
includes farmers and tribal members as well as
fishermen and environmentalists. The group has met
for months to settle regional water issues.
An article in Sunday’s Sacramento Bee
indicated there is discord caused by political
manipulation by the Bush administration to favor
irrigators. It also said that PacifiCorp, the
original organizer of the negotiations, is no
longer involved.
Those involved deny any manipulation of
the talks by the White House, and PacifiCorp, though
not actively participating in talks right now, is
still a part of the process.
Greg Addington, executive director of the
Klamath Water Users Association, said some groups
that are throwing stones in an attempt to disrupt
the negotiations.
Klamath River Settlement participants are
striving to reach a November deadline despite rumors
of discord.
Those not involved in the negotiations
are attempting to detract from the process because
they are not pleased with aspects of the settlement-
He also said irrigators along with other
groups would have to make sacrifices as part of the
settlement.
He declined to say what those sacrifices
could be, citing a confidentiality agreement.
“It’s tough decisions, and some people are
just coming to that realization,” he said.
PacifiCorp is still “in the loop,” but are
not actively involved in the discussions at the
moment. Certain aspects of the settlement do not
concern them, and they do not need to be involved
while those issues are discussed,
Addington said.
A representative with Portland-based
PacifiCorp said the company is still active in the
process.
“We do still feel the settlement process
is a good way to reach agreements,” said Jan
Mitchell, PacifiCorp media representative.
PacificCorps plans to have meetings with
other groups involved within the next few weeks.
Latest difficulties
This is the latest set of difficulties
facing the group since it started negotiations
last year.
In June and July, Congress investigated
Vice President Dick Cheney’s potential political
involvement in restoring irrigation water in the
Basin after the 2001 water crisis.
No longer endangered
Also in July, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service reclassified one of two species of suckers
in the Basin as “threatened” instead of
“endangered.” Klamath Tribe officials criticized the
timing of the decision as settlement negotiations
moved closer to a conclusion.
Tucker said it shouldn’t be surprising to
hear detractors as negotiations come closer to a
conclusion. He is bothered by rumors that the White
House hijacked the settlement process, saying there
is no evidence to back them up.
Those involved in the settlement are split
on whether the November deadline is still feasible.
Tucker believes the deadline can be met.
Addington said if the November deadline is
missed, a settlement would come soon after.
“By the end of the year, we I expect to
have some sort of conclusion,” he said.