Herald and News Letter to the Editor May 7, 2010 By Brandon Criss, farmer-rancher, Siskiyou Republican Central Committee chair

 

   Those who negotiated the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement want you to accept the demolition of four fully functional hydropower dams that provide flood protection along with continual reduced historical water allocations to basin agriculture as a successful negotiation tactic.

    The KBRA explicitly states in section 19.1 “Nothing here is intended to limit the applicability or effect of the Endangered Species Act or other Applicable Law.”    Under section 19.4.5, the entire deal will be renegotiated when “Adaptive management of water resources consistent with the obligations of this Agreement is deemed by the Klamath Basin Coordinating Council to be insufficient to address the impacts of climatic change.”

    Easily 10 out of 18 of that self-appointed Klamath Basin Coordinating Council membership are government bureaucracies, tribes and radical environmentalists whose actions of listing endangered fish have resulted in the 2001 and 2010 water shortages.

    Klamath County commissioners argue that they support the agreements because they are “pro-agriculture.” 

    The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association is “pro-agriculture” and its “members heard presentations on the agreement from the Klamath Water Users Association and the Klamath Off-Project Water Users at its board meeting Feb. 15.  Afterward, the board voted unanimously to oppose the agreement.” (Feb 22, 2008 Herald and News)

    The Siskiyou County Cattlemen’s and Cattlewomen’s associations, Water for Life, 14 California granges, all understand the agreements are bad for agriculture.

    Some argue that you’re racist if you oppose taxpayer dollars being spent to purchase land for the Klamath Tribes. Yet the signers of the KBRA banned the Shasta Indian Nation (whose burial grounds shall be damaged by dam removal) from the negotiations.  The Shasta Indians oppose dam removal.

    Conservatives such as the California Republican Party County Chairman’s Association oppose the liberal agenda of tearing out these beneficial dams.

    Conservatives, cowboys and Indians oppose the liberal KBRA and dam removal agreements.

    Brandon Criss

    Rancher/farmer

    Chairman, Siskiyou County Republican Party