toc 2018 article klamath dam destruction

Klamath Hydroelectric Dams Destruction
Articles, Press Releases, Newsletters
2018

Strategy to form the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement: Cal/EPA Environmental Justice Action Plan May 18, 2005. Lead Agency: State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: FERC ignores salmon mandates, recommends keeping Klamath dams, Capital Press 11/16/07. "Federal licensing authorities Friday recommended keeping PacifiCorp's four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, siding with the utility and ignoring calls from fisheries agencies to build fish ladders...Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chose trapping and hauling fish around the dams rather than building expensive fish ladders and reducing power production to help salmon..."

*Transcribed VIDEO - Klamath County Board of Commissioners Meeting 2/14/17, Reaffirmation that the Klamath County Board of Commissioners opposes Klamath Dam Removal
*Siskiyou County Water Users Association letter to State Water Resources Control Board 2/1/17, regarding Klamath River dam destruction and water quality.http://klamathbasincrisis.org/waterquality/waterboards/notices
/klamathnop20161222_dammeetings.pdf

COMMENTS DUE Feb. 26 - Public comment sought on Klamath dam report for draft EIS from Cal Water Resources Control Board, H&N 12/27/18. "The license surrender is one step toward the proposed decommissioning and removal of four PacifiCorp dams on the Klamath River, three of which are in California."
MEETINGS:
***(Klamath Falls: ZERO meetings)
*Tuesday, Feb. 5, 5 to 8 p.m., Best Western Miner’s Inn, 122 E. Miner St., Yreka
* Wednesday, Feb. 6, 5 to 8 p.m., D Street Neighborhood Center, 1301 D St., Arcata, Calif.
* Thursday, Feb. 7, noon to 3 p.m., Karuk Tribe Council Chambers, 37960 Highway 96, Orleans, Calif.
* Friday, Feb. 15, 1 to 4 p.m., CalEPA Building, Sierra Hearing Room, 1001 I Street, Second Floor, Sacramento

Water talks to continue in Medford, Redding. Mikkelsen to stay the course in wake of Zinke departure. H&N 12/19/18. “At some point we may be getting into a public meeting situation where we would have public meetings..."

THE GREAT EXPERIMENT
Contractors prepare for Klamath dam removal, H&N 12/16/18. “We work as a team with KRRC...It’s a really good way to deliver a complex project with this since there may be a lot of unknowns. It removes some of the risk and uncertainties to both sides.... If it works, more water could become available for irrigators."

Water issues group making some headway, H&N 12/14/18. "The meetings are by invitation only and the press is not permitted to attend."
Back in August Mikkelson said in article: Mikkelson continues (Klamath) water talks; details vague:“We believe that it will be a process that will be open and will lead to public discussion and involvement across the board,”

Press Release, Writ of Mandamus, Siskiyou County Water Users Assoc. (SCWUA) 11/27/18. SCWUA filing of Writ of Mandamus with the DC circuit to require FERC to respond to their petition

SCWUA / Siskiyou County Water Users Association letter to FERC regarding KRRC plan to destroy the Klamath River hydroelectric dams 11/21/18. "...The destruction to be done in accordance with an agreement which was entered into illegally, in our opinion, by the States of Oregon and California known as the Amended KHSA (Klamath Hydroelectric Service Agreement). We feel this was ill advised at the least and illegal at most because the entering into this agreement was done without considering the Klamath Compact which governs the use of the Klamath River and supports the hydro facilities established there..."

Mikkelsen, water users respond to dropped lawsuit. BOR official tours Project next week, H&N 11/9/18.

Mikkelsen forms 'coalition of the willing,' claims Tribes unwilling to 'engage,' H&N 11/8/18

County of Siskiyou submittal to FERC regarding KRRC Definite Plan to obtain and destroy the four Klamath River Dams, 11/2/2018

Siskiyou County Water Users oppose dam removal, SCWUA guest opinion, Siskiyou Daily News 10/5/18. "Siskiyou County Water Users Assoc. is compelled to respond to the recent opinion co- written by Chrysten Lambert and Brian J. Johnson. These two individuals cannot provide an impartial report on the issue of Dam Removal of the Klamath Dams, as they are long time proponents. Lambert is a former Obama appointee to the Klamath Compact. Her father is James Root, a Board Member of the KRRC. He is also a former board member of Trout Unlimited, so all groups benefiting from removal are intertwined..."

Aerial tour of Klamath River dams adds environmental perspective, H&N 9/30/18

Bids for Klamath dam removal out to contractors, H&N 9/26/18.

'Storms' underway in Klamath water talks; are they failing? Mikkelsen to return to Basin in November, H&N 9/21/18

Mikkelson continues (Klamath) water talks; details vague, H&N 8/21/18. “We believe that it will be a process that will be open and will lead to public discussion and involvement across the board,” ...Mikkelsen was vague on the details of an agreement in process but said he could say more on his next visit."

Department of Interior adviser Alan Mikkelsen in the Klamath Basin: Water solutions a long way off, H&N 6/21/18

EXTENSION of Public Comment period for Klamath Dam removal to July 23, 2018 to Oregon DEQ: https://www.oregon.gov/deq/get-involved/documents/070618Klamathpn.pdf
Oregon DEQ accepts public comments on dam removal, H&N, posted to KBC 6/14/18

California water authorities consider removal of Klamath River Dams; if approved, the J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, and Iron Gate dams would all be decommissioned and removed.
* COMMENTS DUE July 23, KDRV 6/12/18. "The settlement (KHSA) sought to eventually return the Klamath River to "free-flowing" conditions, allowing fish to pass along the river unhindered by man-made dams..."
California State Water Resources Control Board: PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR DRAFT WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION KLAMATH RIVER RENEWAL CORPORATION’S LOWER KLAMATH PROJECT FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION PROJECT NO. 14803

(Public Comment) meeting on J.C. Boyle Dam removal Tuesday at OIT, H&N 6/10/18. "Written comments are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, July 6" * Response by Senator Dennis Linthicum

Siskiyou County Water Users Association / SCWUA Spring Edition Newsletter 2018, "Save the dams, Save the salmon"

Comment period til June 15 for recreation sites after dam destruction, H&N 5/31/18

Dam removal leaves need for new recreation sites, followed by Comment Period extended to June 15, H&N 5/31/18. KBC Note: with the vast majority of Klamath and Siskiyou Countys' residents opposing Klamath hydro dam removal, the latest strategy seems to be planning destruction of old, and creation of new "recreation sites", and assuming the dams are coming out. After all, that's the statement from Department of Interior, tribes and liberals wanting rural America to be wild and pristine for their vacation enjoyment. Well, not to mention the 20 million cubic yards of sediment between the remaining mucky stream and the devastated communities and obliterated scenic reservoirs.

Water quality: State issues JC Boyle removal draft certification. Public hearings June 12 at OIT 5/30/18. "Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) submitted its application to the DEQ in September 2016 for water quality certification..." Who is the KRRC?

*** PUBLIC COMMENT: Klamath Dam Removal ODEQ Meeting Notice for June 12th, and Response by Senator Dennis Linthicum, Oregon District 28 5/28/18."...There is estimated to be in excess of 20 million cubic yards of accumulated sediment behind these structures...equivalent of 2 million ten-yard dump truck loads of silt, sediment and sludge which should be removed. Is ODEQ willing to dump that into the river system? ...if your company owned 100 dump trucks it would take 20,000 round-trip excursions to remove and discharge that much debris somewhere on our pristine landscape...there won’t be any reservoirs available for flushing-flows or regulating the volume of dilution flows and the result will be degraded river conditions..."

Feds OK expert panel for Klamath River dam removal review, Eureka Times Standard 5/26/18

Klamath Tribes sue to protect fish, H&N 5/25/18.
2 1/2 years ago: Record number of suckers recovered. Biologists find 732 juvenile suckers near A Canal screen, H&N 12/18/15. "A record number of juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers were recovered from the headwaters of the A Canal earlier this year. According to a news release, biologists with the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) found the largest number of juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers since fish salvage operations began in the Klamath Project in the late 1990s..."

KLAMATH FALLS - Enviros squabble over governor's (Kate Brown) nominee (Greg Addington) to Environmental Quality Commission, The Oregonian, 5/21/18. "...Addington was the executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association...He was heavily involved in the 2010 Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the accompanying settlement to remove four dams on the Klamath River...In a letter to the Senate, Rothert said the historic Klamath agreements would not exist without Addington. 'American Rivers is confident that Mr. Addington would serve the EQC as a constructive member with great skill and integrity.' "
Here for KBC's Who's Who Page for American Rivers: "George Soros helps fund Earthjustice, who pays for American Rivers attorney fees..."

* Draft Principles for Potential Klamath Basin Resource Management Discussions, April 30, 2018
* REFINED Draft Principles for Potential Klamath Basin Resource Management Discussions, May 2, 2018
* Mikkelsen visits Basin stakeholders, releases framework for water agreement, H&N, posted to KBC 5/10/18.
* What the Herald and News Mikkelsen article did not mention was that comments were due by June 15th from 'chosen' stakeholders, to be sent to Ed Sheets, the facilitator in the KBRA and allied closed door Klamath Dam Removal 'agreements'. See Ed Sheets page, and his track record in Montana

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE THE FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, Siskiyou County Water Users Association / SCWUA, Motion to Dismiss 4/24/18: "Siskiyou County Water Users Association (“SCWUA”), hereby moves to dismiss the application for transfer filed by PacifiCorp and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (“KRRC”), on the ground that Congress has not consented to the transfer, and that an arguable mechanism of the expression of such consent, the Klamath River Compact (the “Compact”), has not been invoked. Absent Congressional consent, the KRRC is not qualified to receive the license. Put another way, it would be unconstitutional and a violation of federal law for FERC..."

Mikkelsen speaks to long-term water solutions. Hundreds attend KWUA annual water meeting, H&N 4/15/18. "Alan Mikkelsen, senior advisor to Sec. Ryan Zinke on water and western resources, is working with a team of congressional and state leaders on what he calls a “skeletal framework” for a long-term solution to the ongoing water conflicts in the Klamath Basin...“The skeleton is under review of everybody on my team,” Mikkelsen said. “We developed this within my office to start with.” "...Mikkelsen was mum about the details of the “skeleton” framework...I think that will begin to bring people together in a way that they, the people in this Basin, all the way from the Ocean to here..."

4/1/18 - Powerpoint: Position on water for tribes by Alan Mikkelson, Acting Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Chair of the Working Group on Indian Water Rights Settlements.

Wyden talks Basin water crisis, bipartisanship at town hall, H&N 3/11/18. “What we’ve learned is that you can’t leave parts of the community out of the solution...” KBC NOTE: Democrat Senator Wyden has been are the forefront supporting closed-door, partisan meetings with tribes, government agencies and environmental groups that promote destroying Klamath hydroelectric dams, giving land to tribes that the tribes sold, downsizing agriculture, etc. "Becky Hyde, a Klamath Basin rancher, said she especially wanted to see more people stray away from insults based on partisanship, adding that true solutions could only be reached if people kept away from giving each other metaphorical 'black eyes.' " Go HERE for response to Becky Hyde's letter to former Rep Harper

(Oregon Senator) Wyden Renews Call for Klamath River Basin Solution, YouTube video 9.5 minutes, discussion with Reclamation's Deputy Commissioner Alan Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen: "...we have a trust responsibility and an ESA responsibility to make sure that the 2 species of endangered suckers do not go extinct...FWS have a hatchery grogram...in 2018 we will be releasing the 1st 2 year old fish from that program..."
KBC NOTES regarding above statements by Mikkelsen: Mikkelsen and Wyden support destroying 4 Klamath River Hydroelectric Dams as a "solution" to Klamath Basin's water issues, and keeping high river and lake levels by taking stored water from irrigators. Peer reviewed science suggests otherwise:
* From Klamath ESA Congressional hearing: On July 17, 2004, "Loggers, Farmers, Ranchers, Scientists, Settlers, Indian Tribes, Coastal Fishermen, Congressmen, and Government Agencies, came together to examine the Endangered Species Act, the ESA. Fish Scientist David Vogel said, 'In 1986 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff responsible for whether or not to pursue these (ESA) listings believed there were only 12,000 Lost River suckers in Upper Klamath Lake..they didn't believe they were endangered. A couple years later...we now know for a fact that number's exceeded by tens of thousands of Lost River suckers. Now they flip flop and they say they are endangered. What constitutes endangered?' "
* From DOI sponsored Klamath Scientist Workshop, Chairman National Resource Counsel Committee on Endangered and Threatened Fishes in the Klamath River Basin, Dr. William M. Lewis Jr spoke regarding the NRC conclusions on suckers: "Lewis explained that the suckers were listed since 1988 because of over harvest. They stopped fishing in '87 but they did not recover. The lake has gone from 3' range under natural conditions to experiencing 6' deep in current dry years. With charts and graphs he showed the habitat and water quality, algae and chlorophyll. He said that the committee looked extensively at water levels, and they find 'no hint of a relationship'. He also said that there was no relationship between lower water levels and extreme ph levels ... '92 was the lowest water year, and they expected it to be the least favorable for fish. 'The lowest water year produced the same amount of larvae as other years...He said that fish kill information does not support that fish are dying by changing water level."
* More on Dr. William M. Lewis Jr

Klamath Falls - BOR's Mikkelsen talks drought survival, H&N 2/9/18. "...The focus of people in the Basin right now is surviving 2018...Long-term solutions are frankly a little bit on the back-burner right now...“There are a lot of urban congressmen, both parties, that do not have any desire to make substantive changes to the ESA. And so we have to follow the ESA and we will follow the ESA.”
Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Mikkelson and KRRC on Dam Removal vs Siskiyou County, & Attorneys Buchal and Kogan, and Congressman LaMalfa at Siskiyou Water Users fund raiser Liz Writes Life, Siskiyou Daily News by Liz Bowen 10/17/17. "KRRC Vice President Lester Snow...said the decision to take down the dams is not pending, but had been made. (Hum, not by Siskiyou or Klamath Counties.)...Snow continued saying they are looking for alternative water supply for the Iron Gate Fish Hatchery and possibly even for the City of Yreka. Uh oh, they now acknowledge dam removal could affect Yreka’s city water supply? On flooding, he said their consultants have looked at the issues and long-term liability if KRRC disappears. So, KRRC is looking for liability insurance...(CA U.S. Congressman LaMalfa) was ripping angry at bureaucrat Mikkelsen and asked us to write letters...to DOI Secretary Ryan Zinke asking him to save the four hydro-electric Klamath dams..."

Linthicum drafts bill to defund dam removal, H&N 2/14/18. "...the cost for dam removal could amount to $950 million, with no specific plan yet in place to fully fund the project. He also said sediment could total 20 million cubic yards and releasing it downstream would impact long-term fish habitats..."

KRRC's liaison visiting Basin, H&N 2/8/18. "...Meurer said he was “immediately” interested in the community liaison position, while he also knew it would be “wildly unpopular” to some opposed to dam removal. (KBC NOTE_ 80% opposed in Siskiyou County, 72% opposed in Klamath County)...Meurer met with the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors. He also listened in on a teleconference between a consultation between the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma and FERC staff."

Tribes renew dam removal support at FERC meeting, H&N 1/21/18

KRRC liaison breaks down dam removal - KRRC community liaison to strengthen ties - Additional information, H&N 1/18/18. "Meurer is confident that the dams will be removed, looking at past backing by the states of Oregon and California, and PacifiCorp, the owner of the hydroelectric dams, as well as the Departments of Interior and Commerce."
*** KBC NOTES - The feds, and Tribes and environmental groups that will profit / $$$$$$$ are bypassing the citizens' wishes with their top-down agenda.
* November 2010 election: 80% of Siskiyou County, home of 3 Klamath River Hydroelectric Dams targeted for destruction, oppose the KBRA/Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement that mandates 4 Klamath Dams be removed. 77% of Tulelake voters opposed the KBRA/Dam removal.
* (72% Klamath County) Citizens oppose dam removal in advisory vote, H&N by former Klamath County Commissioner Tom Mallams 11/9/16. "An advisory vote on whether the four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River should be removed came in with 72 percent opposed to the removal and 27 percent in favor in early returns. That translates to 18,838 opposed and 7,051 in favor in the initial 25,889 votes released from the Klamath County Clerk’s office..." “Even they (FERC) have referred to dam removal as the great experiment. That’s a heck of an experiment when you have 21 million cubic yards of sediment flowing downstream.”
* Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement Public Input Meeting posted to YouTube 1/1/10.
* Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.CDM Report - Klamath Liability Determination 7/18/08. (Note by Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong, "The cost estimates from these reports is $800 million, but they include the costs of impacts to Siskiyou County and sediment removal, while the American Rivers/ dam removal proponent's studies do not. These are additional costs for all the impacts and issues that Siskiyou County has raised which have not been considered/mitigated in either the KBRA or the AIP.")
CDM report with highlighted costs and liabilities

FERC to host dam removal meeting Thursday, January 18. Notice was today January 17 in Klamath Herald and News.
"Public and those who opted to intervene ...invited"
"Participation in the meetings, including the gathering planned in Chiloquin, is limited to participation by tribal representatives."
"We'll be just sharing our support for the dam removal process,..."
KBC NOTE: Is this "public", or is this "limited to participation by tribal representatives" ??? Do you need to "register" with less than 1 day notice? Will there be any public meetings for non-tribal citizens?

Signing

Interior secretary nixes water agreement: Tribes, Upper Basin irrigators react, H&N 1/2/18