The supervisors further stated that the surcharges applied to PacifiCorp power customers must be repealed and the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) should “conclusively state that this matter will not be going forward so that the property values of landowners in Siskiyou County may be restored.”

The supervisors have long alleged that the environmental analysis of dam removal has been flawed and biased. In this most recent statement they invoke the whistleblower complaint filed recently by a Bureau of Reclamation employee charging bias in DOI’s public representation of that analysis and further state that the complaint may be “credible proof” of their allegations.

In the press release the board also alleges that the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s development of the Klamath River Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) – a regulatory process aimed at curbing water pollutants – was “specifically designed to require dam removal regardless of science.”

In addition, the board is also announcing that it is considering delaying its intended lawsuit against the federal government.

District 3 Supervisor Michael Kobseff told the Daily News the board is considering the delay because Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar announced last week that he will not be able to meet his projected deadline of March 31 for his determination of whether dam removal will advance salmon restoration and serve the public interest.

Salazar said he could not make the determination until Congress passes proposed legislation that would grant him the authority to do so.
Kobseff said the delay of Salazar’s decision was the intended goal of the board’s intent to file suit, and therefore pursuing the lawsuit may not be necessary at this time.