anti dam removal group will not appeal klamath 090110

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Anti-dam removal group will not appeal

Rejected initiative ruled by clerk as unconstitutional

by JOEL ASCHBRENNER, Herald and News 9/1/10

A group that opposes dam removal on the Klamath River will not appeal a ruling that its proposed ballot initiative was unconstitutional.

The group, Voters Opposed to Dam Removal, proposed an initiative that would have asked voters to make it illegal for Klamath County to financially support dam removal. Group members initially said they would appeal the Klamath County clerk’s ruling that the initiative did not qualify for the ballot.

Frank Goodson, one of the group’s chief petitioners, said the group decided to not proceed with its appeal because the Klamath County Board of Commissioners decided Tuesday to add an advisory election to the November ballot that will ask voters if the county should discontinue participation in the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

The KBRA is tied to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, which includes the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River.

The advisory election will poll public opinion, and will not be legally binding.

The group submitted a letter to the Board of Commissioners Monday, requesting that the November ballot include the following advisory question: “Should the Klamath River dams be removed as requested in the KBRA (Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement)?”

The Board of Commissioners declined the group’s request.

Goodson said group members might resubmit their original ballot initiative for the March election if they are not satisfied with the way the advisory question is worded on the November ballot.

“We’re just putting it off until we see what happens,” he said.

A special March election would cost the county about $50,000, said Klamath County Clerk Linda Smith.