Opinion: Klamath dam
removal is not a partisan issue
Herald and News, October 23, 2019, by Guest Columnist
Jason A. Atkinson,
Atkinson, a former Oregon state legislator for 14 years,
wrote and produced the film “A River Between Us”
documenting the restoration of the Klamath River. He is
a Rodel Fellow with the
Aspen Institute.
Today’s noisy partisan divide concerns me and makes the
thought of meaningful collaboration across parties seem
impossible. However, the largest river restoration
project in history, spanning the California-Oregon
border, tells a hopeful story offering a blueprint for
political, conservation and economic progress.
The project to remove the four lower Klamath River dams
was born in bipartisanship. When I served as Republican
state senator representing southern Oregon counties, I
worked with my colleagues across the aisle to move this
vital project forward. Republican California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger and Democratic Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski
signed executive actions entering their respective
states into the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement
Agreement, calling for removing four dams in the river.
The deal, hatched during the George W. Bush
Administration, was grounded in private property rights,
irrigation policy and respect for Native Americans.
After the film “A River Between Us” was released to a
national audience, the Obama Administration did all it
could to move the project to completion.
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People continue to believe the question of dam removal
comes down to dams vs. irrigators, but that’s simply not
true. The dams do nothing for irrigation – all four dams
are located below the majority of farming and ranching
operations – and dam removal does not change the ability
to draw water for crops. This once mighty and highly
productive river has for decades been hobbled by
terrible water quality, which is aggravated by the dams.
Toxic blue green algae, fostered by the warm, shallow
water in the reservoirs, makes the river dangerous
during hot summer months. The deadly C.
Shasta parasite flourishes in dam-created
conditions, rotting the guts of salmon and steelhead.
The dams also cut off hundreds of miles of historical
spawning and rearing habitat, access to which is
essential for the recovery of these native fishes.
Decimated fish stocks have severely impacted commercial
and recreational salmon fishing industries, draining
much-needed prosperity out of the Klamath region and
robbed Klamath, Karuk and Yurok Tribes of sustenance and
a vital cultural resource.
Thankfully, the river can be healed, and dam removal is
foundational step in revitalization.
Planning and design work needed for reservoir drawdown,
dam removal and river restoration is already underway.
As the project moves into full swing it’s expected to
directly create more than 400 high-paying jobs along the
Klamath and support more than 1,000 local jobs
indirectly. This will be a giant shot in the arm for the
Klamath region, which has long struggled to regain its
economic footing after the collapse of the timber
industry.
The project also recognizes the dam owner PacifiCorp has
the private property right to take down these dams
rather than rather than continue operations with
significant and costly upgrades that would likely be
required as part of the relicensing process. The
negligible amount of power lost will not affect
PacifiCorp's ability to deliver power to its customers.
Coupled with ratepayer cost caps set by state public
utility commissions and liability protections baked into
the settlement setting the terms for dam removal, this
project provides an indisputable cost savings for
electricity ratepayers.
This project checks boxes on both sides of the political
aisle, with environmental and wildlife benefits as well
as job creation and private property protections. Tribal
respect and rights are balanced with sustained
agriculture. Support for these outcomes is not exclusive
to either party, and everyone can celebrate all of these
benefits, even if they don’t rank them in exactly the
same order.
The final critical step in the dam removal process is
for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve
transfer of the hydroelectric licenses to the Klamath
River Renewal Corporation, a non-profit created to
oversee dam deconstruction and river restoration. The
nonprofit has created acomprehensive package for FERC
showing it has the capacity to take on the licenses and
complete this landmark project. The time is now for FERC
to give the green light to this essential project.
As a member of a family who has been on the river for 90
years, as someone who has worked his life on this
project, and as a former legislative leader committed to
practical solutions, it is my sincere hope FERC signs
off on this bipartisan project so the entire Klamath
community can finally move on to a prosperous future for
all.
