Rep. Huffman statement on Yurok Tribe Withdrawal from Klamath Basin agreements

September 16, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) today released the following statement after the Yurok Tribe announced it will be withdrawing from the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and related Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), collectively known as the Klamath Agreements:

“While I am disappointed by the Yurok Tribe’s change of heart on the Klamath agreements, I share their frustration with the lack of action in Congress over the past three years. This historic consensus effort to remove Klamath River dams and restore one of the most important salmon rivers on the West Coast is premised on congressional authorization, and as years tick by with little action by Congress the obvious risk is that the stakeholder consensus starts to unravel.

“I remain convinced that the Klamath agreements are the best way forward and that a return to squabbling over water and the future of the dams on the river is a step backward. But my patience, not unlike the Yurok Tribe’s, is wearing thin due to delays and inequities in addressing the concerns of stakeholders in my district, where the Klamath River is the lifeblood for many of my constituents.

“The Yurok announcement demonstrates that time is not on our side.

“As Congress has failed to act, we have narrowly avoided massive fish kills in the Klamath each of the past three years. For the tribes, communities and fisheries of my district, restoring the Klamath River is too important to wait endlessly. It’s time for Congress to get moving on forward-thinking Klamath legislation that removes the dams and restores the river and its fisheries for the benefit of stakeholders in both California and Oregon.”

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