Plans to remove four dams on the Klamath River in the US have taken a step forward with news yesterday that the States of Oregon and California, together with the dams owner PacifiCorp and the federal government, have agreed in principle to move forward with amending the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA).
Members of the California and Oregon delegations introduced legislation in the past two Congresses to advance the hard-fought KHSA and two related Klamath agreements; however, the US Congress adjourned last year without acting on legislation to authorize them.
Under the agreement, the parties to the KHSA will pursue its implementation through the administrative process governed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), using existing funding and on the same timeline.
The agreement-in-principle focuses primarily on the dam removal portion of the broader pact, but is also seen as an important and necessary first step toward maintaining the broader Klamath settlements. The four parties intend to work with each other and the more than 40 signatories to the KHSA in the coming weeks to develop terms of an amendment to the KHSA to implement its key provisions, including providing for facilities removal. The target date for signing an amended KHSA is February 29.
The KHSA as amended would then be submitted for consideration through FERC's established processes, which involve public comment. If approved, PacifiCorp would transfer title of the Klamath River dams to a non-federal entity that would assume liability and take the appropriate steps to decommission and remove the dams - Iron Gate, Copco No 1 and No 2, and JC Boyle - in 2020.
"The Klamath agreements were the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration across a diverse and committed coalition of parties - and we can't let that local vision go unfulfilled," said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. "This agreement-in-principle is an important initial step as we work toward a comprehensive set of actions to advance the long term progress and sustainability for tribes, fisheries and water users across the Klamath Basin."
"The Agreement in Principle continues the momentum built by those who crafted the original Klamath Agreements," added Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. "NOAA considers this the first step along a new path to secure the future of irrigated agriculture and tribal communities, and the fishery. We'll continue to work in close coordination with all the KBRA parties on a comprehensive plan. Too many people have worked too long to let this historical opportunity slip away."
The four PacifiCorp dams on the Klamath River are authorized for hydroelectric power generation. Regulations require that the dams need to be retrofitted to provide fish passage for salmon, steelhead and other fish. The Oregon and California public utility commissions found that the original KHSA was a prudent alternative for PacifiCorp's customers.
