indybay

Klamath Riverkeeper Says No to Any Water Bond with Canal and Dams

by Dan Bacher

Tuesday, February 18, was a busy day in the battle by Klamath River activists to remove PacifiCorp's fish-killing dams. In Sacramento, the California State Water Board heard a progress report from the draft dam removal deal's negotiators.

The Klamath Riverkeeper and 20 local activists and tribal members submitted comments encouraging the Water Board to take a tough stance on PacifiCorp's water pollution until the dams come down. Erika Terence, the Klamath Riverkeeper, said in a letter delivered to the board that "In the event of another extension, the Riverkeeper submits that the Agreement in Principle released in December is flawed."

She said the negotiating parties must provide the board and the public with "a tangible work-product" that includes a series of criteria, including pursuing "a funding path that does not include money to fund Klamath dam removal from a California general obligation water bond that would also be likely to fund the peripheral canal, new dams or other ecologically damaging projects."

I applaud the Klamath Riverkeeper and Klamath Justice Coalition for taking aim at any plan that would include dam removal as a trade off for a peripheral canal and more dams. When the agreement was released in November 2008, Governor Arnold Scharzenegger in a statement tried to pit Klamath River dam removal advocates against Delta advocates by pushing for a peripheral canal and more dams while agreeing to dam removal.

"Now, let me just say that we all know that we have a very serious water problem in California and, of course, we want to make sure that we build more water storage, above-the-ground and below-the-ground water storage, but they have to be strategically located," said Schwarzenegger in November.

"So this is why it is important that we continue building those, even though we want to take four down," Scharzenegger claimed. "I've been worried, of course, about our declining salmon population, and with this agreement here we are setting the stage for the return of the historic salmon runs on the Klamath River."

Terence also criticized the agreement for giving parties too many rights of withdrawal, including one for PacifiCorp if the company is forced to pay for clean water permits. The AIP also fails to specify what agency would be empowered to implement or enforce the interim measures.

Meanwhile, in Salem the Oregon Senate approved SB 76, the bill that begins funding Klamath dam removal. "A victory for dam removal advocates, the bill will travel to a House committee next week," said Malena Marvin, Outreach and Science Director for the Klamath Riverkeeper.

"The fight to make the dam removal agreement one we can feel good about is far from over," said Marvin. "We're working hard to tie local grassroots organizing and outreach with a legal and policy strategy to bring down the dams and protect water quality on the Klamath."

Around 20 local Klamath advocates in red "Un-Dam the Klamath" t-shirts accompanied Klamath Riverkeeper Erica Terence to a State Water Board meeting on dam removal this week. The delegation asked the Water Board to push for key clean water changes in the draft dam removal deal. Photo credit: Stormy Staats

Here is the Klamath Riverkeeper eNews, compiled by Malena Marvin:

Published by

Original source : http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/02/18/185718...