[env-trinity] Klamath Dam Removal Legislation Introduced

[Tom Stokely]

Redding Record Searchlight: http://www.redding.com/news/2011/nov/11/drive-begins-to-aid-salmon/  

San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19306650 

Eureka Times Standard:
http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_19314134  

Klamath dam removal legislation introduced; supporters face 'uphill battle' in Congress

Donna Tam/The Times-Standard
Posted: 11/11/2011 02:39:50 AM PST

With implementation legislation introduced -- a milestone in the path to the Klamath dam removal project -- advocates will now have to convince legislators to pass the bill before a March deadline.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Congressman Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, jointly introduced the Klamath Basin Economic Restoration Act in the Senate and House Thursday, asking Congress to approve spending $750 million to restore salmon habitat and guarantee water for Klamath basin farm irrigation.
”There's pretty strong Republican opposition to this bill, and I think we have a far better chance of having it passed in the House,” Thompson said. “I think it's critically important that we get the bill out there so we can begin the debate and can focus our attention on this. We can explain to our House members who are not supporting the bill why that's the wrong position to have. ... I don't know of any Democrats or Republicans that would not jump at the chance to improve fishing, improve farming and create more than 4,000 jobs.”
The Klamath Basin Economic Restoration Act authorizes the implementation of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). The two agreements, signed in 2008 after years of fighting among parties in the Klamath Basin, lays out a plan for removal. The legislation language also covers tribal rights, water allocations and sets the distribution of revenue from the Tule
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Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
”This legislation is proof that through collaboration and hard work we can move beyond the disputes of the past and create a stronger foundation for economic growth,” Merkley said in a news release. “This legislation will provide a brighter future for the Klamath Basin -- putting people to work and improving the economy for farmers and fishermen alike.”
The legislation is key to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar's determination on the proposed project. Salazar has until the end of March to decide if the dam removal project, which removes four dams from the Klamath River and initiates restoration work, is in the public interest. If passed, the legislation would approve both agreements and authorizes Salazar to sign and implement the KBRA, implement the KHSA and take the necessary steps to move the agreement forward; changes or establishes federal policy to assist implementation of the agreements; and establishes a process to plan for and implement dam removal.
Craig Tucker, a spokesman for the Karuk Tribe -- one of the parties to the agreement -- said supporters of the project are hoping for a legislative hearing to clear up what he said are misconceptions about the project. He said the dams do not provide irrigation to farms currently, and the dams will not affect the water supply in areas like Scott Valley.
”I think we clearly have an uphill battle passing this through Congress, but it's been an uphill battle every step of the way,” Tucker said.
Supporters, which include farmers, fishermen and tribes, have pointed to the economic benefits of the project and its role in avoiding catastrophes like the 2002 fish kill or the 2006 commercial salmon fishing closure. Detractors have voiced concern over the removal's effect on the property owners closest to the dams, issues surrounding water rights and cost.
The bill has 15 cosigners -- mostly Democrats -- so far. A sticking point for Republicans is the project's price. According to Thompson's office, the total cost of removing the dams and embarking on the environmental restoration is estimated to be $536 million in federal funds, which will be matched by $550 million in non-federal funds. Tucker said $200 million will come from ratepayers, but it is a nominal amount compared to the more than $500 million that ratepayers would be stuck with if the dam was relicensed and retrofitted instead.
Congressman Tom McClintock, R-Granite Bay, a staunch opponent of the project, said in a statement that the cost will be a large obstacle for the bill being passed in the House. He said “the effort to tear down four perfectly good hydroelectric dams at enormous cost to ratepayers and taxpayers is insane.”
McClintock is the chairman of the Water and Power Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. The bill will most likely go before his subcommittee.
”Fortunately, congressional approval is necessary to move forward,” he said in his statement. “The full House voted earlier this year against proceeding with the Klamath dam removal. That precedent, and a $13 trillion national debt, speak volumes on the chances of this legislation passing in the House over the next year.”
Thompson said he doesn't think McClintock's stance on the Klamath River is in the best interest of the residents who are affected by it.
”Tom McClintock doesn't give a hoot about our fisheries or our fishing families, and I think it's not only terribly provincial on his part -- how dare this guy allow a community to suffer the way our community has suffered, because he doesn't think we should do, in this case, what's right,” he said.
Thompson said he wasn't concerned about the bill making its way through the subcommittee McClintock chairs
”Tom McClintock is not a significant voice on public policy. He's against anything,” he said. “He's not somebody you can work with. He's beyond libertarian ... he's an anarchist.”
Agreement parties hope that Congress will see that the bill is not about Republicans or Democrats but about the blue-collar work force in the Klamath Basin.
”This bill is a marked departure from past attempts by one interest group to strongarm one another,” said Jeff Mitchell, the lead negotiator for the Klamath Tribes, which is also a party to the agreement. “Instead, we've set aside ideological debates and focus on protecting everyone's interest collectively. It's exactly the type of win-win policy Congress should embrace.”
To see the bill, agreements, or the project's environmental impact report, visit www.klamathrestoration.gov.

Donna Tam can be reached at 441-0532 or dtam at times-standard.com.


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