At their regular meeting today all three commissioners voted to draft an order for Klamath County to withdraw from the KBRA. County Counsel Dave Groff will write up the order and the commissioners will review and sign it next week.
The commissioners' decision came after hearing on Feb. 12, when more than 70 people spoke on either side of the KBRA divide, and after the commissioners received and reviewed hundreds of emails and letters on the subject.
The KBRA and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement seek to establish reliable water supplies and affordable power rates for irrigators, restore fish habitat, help the Klamath Tribes acquire the 92,000-acre Mazama Tree Farm and remove four dams on the Klamath River.
Commissioner Jim Bellet voiced concerns over the KBRA's impacts to Klamath County's economy. Commission Chairman Dennis Linthicum said he saw the lack of water storage as a big problem with the agreements. Commissioner Tom Mallams thought the KBRA did a good job bringing people together, but he said a better agreement could be reached.
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