Klamath Basin Crisis archive 213 February 2020

Archive 213 - February 2020
also see main archive page

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SCWUA / Siskiyou County Water Users Association Comments on Report for the Lower Klamath Project License Surrender, State Clearinghouse No. 2016122047 FERC #14803, 2/3/2020

Letter to California State Water Resources Control Board from Jerry L. Bacigalupi, Professional Engineer (P.E.), comments to the Recirculated Draft EIR for the Lower Klamath Project License Surrender EIR, FERC Project # 14803 submitted 2/3/2020

* Comments Due February 7, 2020 - http://waterresilience.ca.gov State Agencies Release Draft Water Resilience Portfolio. "The California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Food and Agriculture developed the draft to fulfill Governor Gavin Newsom’s April 29 executive order calling for a portfolio of actions to ensure the state’s long-term water resilience and ecosystem health.
2020 Water Resilience Portfolio - http://waterresilience.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/California-Water-Resilience-Portfolio-2019-Final2.pdf : Manage groundwater, assist in Klamath Dam Removal, plan for climate change, plan for upcoming 500 million people in California...

Feds reject breaching Snake River dams, Capital Press 2/28/2020

Yurok vs. Reclamation case moved to March 6, H&N 2/28/2020

KWUA to hold public meeting on drought, irrigation water supply March 5th

KRRC awards contract for Klamath dam removal, H&N 2/26/2020

'Make every drop count'; Klamath, Modoc Counties face drought possibilities, H&N 2/25/20.

PRESS RELEASE - Senator Dennis Linthicum Representing Constituents by Denying Quorum, 2/25/2020. "Cap and trade should be referred to the ballot to let the people decide..."

“Fish Passage” Siskiyou County Water Users response, by SCWUA to KRRC/Klamath Dam Removal group 2/19/2020. "The real solution to the issues at hand is to retain the hydro facilities and to improve the damage done in the “1964 floods” (increasing the capacity of existing “redds”) to the Klamath River and find other solutions to water quality coming from Oregon. This river damage included severely impairing the hydrography of the Klamath River. Let’s hope that sanity will prevail at some point to provide economically doable solutions."

Klamath Project farmers say question marks loom over coming season, Capital Press 2/19/2020. "Without those plans — known collectively as the Klamath Project Biological Opinion, or BiOp — Kirby said he cannot predict how much water will be available for the 400-plus family farms and 65,000 irrigated acres in his district...a lawsuit filed by the Yurok Tribe in California, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and Institute for Fisheries Resources also seeks a preliminary injunction to keep another 50,000 acre-feet of water in-stream for Klamath River salmon this year..." KBC NOTE: "PCFFA, IFFR and Yurok Tribe, all signatories to the closed-door Klamath water "agreements," have sued Klamath Irrigators in the Takings Case claiming they should must not be reimbursed for the 2001 water shutoff, when many family farmers, with deeds signed by a U.S. president with "water appurtenant" to their land, went bankrupt." Those groups petitioned against the farmers on water quality, water quantity, and are still demanding that the Klamath River hydro dams are removed.

Salmon Cannon company presents in Siskiyou County, H&N 2/18/2020. "Dearden emphasized that the technology does not harm or kill any fish. It takes just seconds or minutes for a fish to be transported past a dam, versus the hours or days it takes for the fish to complete the task on its own. And Whooshh’s system costs just 10 to 30 percent of a traditional fish passage option...Dearden confirmed during his presentation that only SCWUA had reached out to Whooshh regarding providing an alternative to removal of the Klamath dams...The company has deployed the system at the Chief Joseph and Cle Elum dams in Washington and has reported success with both projects." " '...The KRRC (Klamath Dam removal group) exists simply to implement the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. We do not examine alternatives to the agreement,' (KRRC Community Liaison) Meurer stated."

Tule airport controversy, H&N 2/16/20 (followed by comment)

The Modoc Nation and its ongoing Tulelake Basin dispute's, a Clash of Cultures, H&N 2/16/20. The editor complains that "Attempts have also been made to contact Tulelake Basin individuals to obtain information and their points of view about the various controversies, such as the future of the Tulelake Municipal Airport." The editor has been quick to air the Tule Lake Committee's grievances and devalue our community members, but reluctant to write about the readily available facts about the airport's importance and the community support by Klamath and Oklahoma Modocs' Tribes.
KBC News was a representative from the Tulelake community at the Udall Foundation mediation process on finding solutions to saving our airport from the Japanese group suing to shut it down.
HERE are KBC's responses when being screened for participation. Several entities, including Modoc Tribe from Oklahoma, Klamath Tribes, KBC News, TID, Tulelake Growers Association, Tulelake mayor, government agencies, environmental groups, and Japanese Tule Lake Committee, traveled to meetings in Redding, CA and Sacramento (only 2 were in Tulelake).
All except one Tule Lake Committee member and another person agreed that airport safety was #1 priority and a fence was the best method to prevent fatal collisions with animals and people on the runway, and prevent vandalism and terrorist attacks. Most all airports have security fences. The proposed fence is like the one surrounding the former Jailhouse which the Tule Lake Committee supports to prevent vandalism. Historically there was a fence around the WWII Japanese Relocation Camp. The bottom line was, and is, the TL Committee wants to acquire the airport property and shut down all aviation there. The airport was built there in the '50s because it was the only safe practical place to locate it. It services 40,000 square miles for agriculture, has firefighting services, and emergency services such as medical air lifts. The Japanese acquisitions for their story already include more than 1300 acres, mostly former public land that locals are no longer permitted to visit except with a guide.

KBC News October 2017: Fencing Dispute at Tule Lake H&N article by editor Lee Juillerat quoting activist Barbara Takai of the TuleLake Committee. 10/3/17. Takai claims our KBC News website demonizes Muslims and the Muslim American civil rights group CAIR as 'terrorists', citing our "racism" "hysteria" "failed political leadership" "lies" and "fake news."
We farmers and ranchers at KBC News were not asked for a response or input in this slanderous Herald and News article against our community, or any other related articles.
We did NOT make up these following links of news articles stating that the Tule Lake Committee's partner CAIR, Council on American Islamic Relations, is listed as a terrorist group in United Arab Emirates: *Who's Who in Japanese-American Tule Lake committee and documentation of their partnership and ties to CAIR, Council on American Islamic Relations

HERE for our Tulelake Airport vs Tulelake Committee webpage

Oregon governor calls for breaching 4 Snake River dams, H&N 2/16/20. "...The dams generate electricity, provide some irrigation and flood control and allow barges to operate all the way to Lewiston, Idaho..."
Columbia-Snake River litigation has 90,000-plus acres in balance, Fruit Growers News 1/24/20

WHY - Rep Reschke among walkouts from Cap and Trade Bill, H&N 2/16/20. "Thursday’s early exit from a critical House policy committee, was done in protest to the fact that the committee purposely did not hear any public testimony on a highly controversial bill, or provide time to discuss among committee members regarding the policy of the bill." “We have tried to engage with our colleagues on this issue, but have repeatedly been denied the opportunity to represent our districts in this conversation. Cap and trade will raise costs of living on all Oregonians, drive business out of the state, and hand control over to unelected bureaucrats. Oregonians are being denied access..."

Environmentalists And Timber Industry Reach Agreement On Forests, Avoiding Oregon Ballot Fights, OPB 2/10/2020.

February 2, 2020 - Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven