walden stresses importance of local lead in KBRA 110610

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Walden stresses importance of local lead in KBRA

Herald and News November 6, 2010

U.S. Rep. Greg Walden took several minutes to answer questions from Oregon reporters Wednesday morning.

Responding to a Herald and News question about the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, Walden said he was aware of the close vote on county Measure 18-80. The advisory measure asked county residents to decide whether county leaders should continue negotiating on the agreement.

The vote ended up 52 percent to 48 percent in favor of keeping officials in the negotiations. Walden said that was a smart move for Klamath County

“I think you want local government leaders at the table, you need to make sure everybody’s at the table,” Walden said.

He added it was “very important” for the KBRA process to be driven by local stakeholders, saying federal politicians should not be dictating natural resource policies in the Klamath Basin.

He also said the KBRA would likely be a tough issue to garner support for in Congress, with its price tag exceeding $1 billion. But he said he would work with Democratic Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden of Oregon to elevate its visibility.

“It’s a very important proposal being put forward,” Walden said. “It’s up to us now to say, ‘OK, where do we go from here?’ ”