Seeking input -
Stakeholders plan
public meetings
No
dates yet for public meetings on dam removal
by Ty
Beaver, Herald and News 10/6/09
Those who
crafted a Klamath River dam removal agreement will meet
in the coming weeks to tie the document into the Klamath
Basin Restoration Agreement. Also, meetings to receive
public feedback also are planned.
Stakeholders said Monday no firm meetings or dates are
set, but they will begin charting a path to getting both
documents to Congress soon.
“We want both agreements signed before the end of the
year,” said Craig Tucker, Klamath campaign coordinator
for the Karuk Tribe of California.
Tucker said he envisioned meetings for stakeholders to
go over the KBRA to take place in the next two to three
weeks. No major changes would be made, but sections that
required a dam removal agreement can now be drafted.
Dates also can be updated.
Need for public meetings
Greg Addington, executive director of Klamath Water
Users Association, said his organization’s board will
discuss the need for public meetings during a Wednesday
board meeting.
“Immediately, right now, we’re focused on ‘what do we
need to do to shore up the KBRA,’ ” he said.
Addington thought public meetings could be scheduled in
the next 30 to 45 days. Tucker said he will be
discussing how to present the dam removal agreement to
the Karuk tribal membership later this week.
Klamath County could also have its own round of public
comment.. The county is listed as a party on the dam
removal agreement.
Klamath County Commissioner Cheryl Hukill said the
Klamath County Board of Commissioners had yet to discuss
the issue of public meetings and said that would be
looked at.
“I’m sure we won’t have any public comment until we have
both (documents) read,” she said.
About the KBRA and dam removal
Dam removal. Water supplies. Environmental protections.
Affordable power.
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement covers a wide
variety of issues impacting the communities of the
Klamath River Basin. Stakeholders met regularly for
years in closed meetings to develop the document.
Among its conditions is helping the Klamath Tribes
acquire the Mazama Tree Farm, helping irrigators with
stable water supply, encouraging affordable power rates
and removing four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath
River to restore fish passage.
Dam removal is specifically dealt with in the
recently-released Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement
Agreement. Federal and state government officials and
other stakeholders along with PacifiCorp representatives
worked on that document after reaching a tentative
agreement in November 2008.
The agreement has proponents from most stakeholder
groups but others oppose it. Many irrigators off the
Klamath Reclamation Project say the agreement does
little for them.
Some environmental groups criticize the agreement for
doing too little too late for wildlife and the river’s
ecosystem. Others are opposed or for it based on
personal politics or other reasons.
