Herald and News Letter to the Editor May 30, 2009 by Murl Metz, Klamath Falls

It didn’t take long, subsequent to the dam removal agreement, for options relative to renewable energy and salmon habitat to surface. Pacific Power tells me that, if I use 1,000 kilowatt hours and choose the blue sky usage renewable energy option, my cost will only increase $8.90 a month.

It would seem to me that leaving the dams in place would provide a much more favorable impact on renewable energy than my $8..90. It is for this reason that I will decline their offer to participate.. I heard precious little opposition from the county officials relative to the dam removal issue so I assume they will.

Option 2: Salmon habitat, $11.40 a month. It was my understanding that if we remove the dams, the salmon will be able to swim all the way to Upper Klamath Lake. By the same token, a suckerfish, with all this water rushing down the river, may well end up in the ocean. I could imagine the surprise of a salmon fisherman reeling in one of those suckers. I can’t, however, imagine what he would do with it because I doubt there is much of a market for a sucker fillet.

I was flabbergasted when our esteemed leaders in Washington, D.C., and our own governor approved this harebrained proposal in the first place. To me, it’s akin to a big tall bird with a long neck burying its head in the sand and saying to everyone I’m hiding.


Pacific Power, I will also pass on blue sky habitat option 2. Considering the cost of removing the dams and the cost of replacing the block of power currently generated, I’m going to need that $11.40 a month down the road.

The salmon will just have to commingle with the suckers.

Murl Metz, Klamath Falls