North Coast reps grill PacifiCorp on Klamath dams removal, tribal chairs stress urgency

Jared Huffman: ‘The river is dying’

North Coast elected officials rang alarm bells Tuesday around what the region’s congressional representative called a “slow-walk” on the removal of four Klamath River dams that have threatened fish populations and led to pollution.

The effort to remove the hydroelectric dams was making steady progress until a federal agency in July ordered the energy company PacifiCorp to remain a licensee for the dams, an unwelcome move for both PacifiCorp and a nonprofit group that had sought to take over the license.

In an emotional, often confrontational panel Tuesday, the North Coast’s elected officials pressed a PacifiCorp higher-up to give concrete answers about the company’s willingness to go forward with dam removal.

“This river is dying,” Rep. Jared Huffman told the company official. “The fishery is dying. Your dam is causing a toxic concentration of algae that is the worst in the world.”

As Huffman put it, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order earlier this year has prompted PacifiCorp to begin “equivocating” on whether it will fully support dam removal.

A PacifiCorp spokesperson said in July the company wanted to keep its ratepayers from becoming liable for the high costs of removing the dams. The commission’s order had jeopardized a previous agreement that protected those cost increases, spokesperson Drew Hanson said at the time.

On Tuesday, North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire asked PacifiCorp senior official Scott Bolton if dam removal remained the company’s “top priority.”

“To be very clear,” Bolton responded, “Our priority has never been dam removal or dam retention. Our priority has always been, ‘What is the best outcome for our customers?’ And the best outcome for our customers is to create an agreement for dam removal.”

Bolton apologized for “being nuanced,” but emphasized that PacifiCorp took no stance on the dams — the company, he said, just wants to be accountable to regulators in making the best economic decisions for ratepayers.

“So the nuance is, you’re looking at the economics of it, I’m spending more time on the environmental damage that your dams have caused,” McGuire fired back.

“Regardless of what the motivation might be — yours is on economics, ours is on the human suffering and environmental degradation that we’ve seen — I’m asking for a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ if you don’t mind … are you committed to continuing to move forward with dam removal?” McGuire asked.

“We’re committed to seeing this agreement through, absolutely,” Bolton responded.

Native American tribal chairmen Joseph James of the Yurok Tribe and Russell “Buster” Attebery of the Karuk Tribe spoke at length on Tuesday’s panel, saying dam removal would save fisheries and longstanding rituals that are vital to the tribal communities but have been devastated by the dams’ presence.

“Our fish are not returning in the healthy, abundant numbers necessary for the Yurok people to practice culture, subsistence and commercial lifeways needed to sustain the Yurok people,” James said.

“We’ve been at this for a long time,” Attebery said. “Having seen it firsthand, we’re out of time. To say there’s a state of urgency is an understatement.”

Other electeds have weighed in on the issue. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom released a letter urging Klamath dam removal. He addressed the letter in part to Warren Buffett, one of the world’s wealthiest businessmen, who controls the firm, Berkshire Hathaway, which owns PacifiCorp.

Newsom has asked Buffett to lift the cap on how much PacifiCorp could spend on the Klamath River project. That request drew pushback this week from Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who sent his own letter to PacifiCorp that a company representative forwarded to the Times-Standard. PacifiCorp provides electric power in six states, including Utah and California.

“I am concerned that these proposed changes would unfairly shift costs related to the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement to Utah customers, who were not represented in the settlement negotiations,” Herbert wrote.

On Tuesday, the North Coast’s representatives similarly addressed Buffett, suggesting the multibillionaire use his power to expedite the drawn-out removal process.

Assemblymember Wood went as far as to openly invite Buffett to come see the Klamath River himself, saying the best “business decision” Buffett could make is to honor the rights of indigenous people in the region.

“Your legacy can be one of being a hero in Northern California, or, quite frankly, an obstructionist who was more concerned about profits,” Wood said. “The choice is yours for the company that you own. Please, make the right decision.”

By:  Shomik Mukherjee
Source: The Times-Standard

• Print
• Email
• Tweet