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<DIV><BR></DIV><B>Judge says statute of limitations gone in lawsuit</B>
<BR>4/21/2005, 2:50 p.m. PT <BR><A
href="http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1114119893213521.xml&storylist=orlocal">http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1114119893213521.xml&storylist=orlocal</A>
<P>The Associated Press
<P>MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge in Medford says a $1 billion
lawsuit by members of the Klamath Tribes against PacifiCorp for the loss of
salmon should be thrown out because the statute of limitations expired in 1971.
<P>The action was filed last May. Judge John P. Cooney recommended that it be
dismissed.
<P>The tribes claim the dams on the Klamath River destroyed their 1864 treaty
rights to fish for salmon in the rivers' headwaters.
<P>Dam construction on the river started in 1908 and ended in 1967. Salmon
migration stops at Iron Gate Dam, the lowest on the Klamath River, in
California's Siskiyou County.
<P>"We argued that it was untimely, and the judge agreed," said Jon Coney,
PacifiCorp spokesman.
<P>The case moves to Eugene where a district judge will decide whether the case
should be dismissed.
<P>The tribe was terminated in 1954. Tribal members retain hunting and fishing
rights even though they no longer have a reservation. Tribal status was restored
in 1986 and the tribes want reservation land again.
<P>PacifiCorp has four hydroelectric dams on the river plus a flood control dam.
<P>Dan Israel, a lawyer for the Tribes, said a federal appeals court may have to
decide the issue.
<P>Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. <BR>This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. <BR>© 2005
OregonLive.com All Rights Reserved.
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