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<DIV> </DIV><BR>NEWS RELEASE <BR><BR>Klamath Riverkeeper <BR>Pacific Coast
Federation of Fishermens Associations <BR>Karuk Tribe of California <BR><BR>FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 20, 2007 <BR><BR>Contacts: <BR>Regina Chichizola,
Klamath Riverkeeper: 541-951-0126 <BR>Glen Spain, PCFFA: 541-689-2000 <BR>Craig
Tucker. Karuk Tribe: 530-627-3446 x3027 <BR><BR>GROUPS WANT PACIFICORP HELD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR TOXIC DISCHARGES <BR>Riverkeeper, Karuk Tribe, and Commercial
Fishermen Petition CA Water Boards to Control Toxic Discharges from Klamath Dams
<BR><BR>SACRAMENTO, CA- Today the Klamath Riverkeeper, the Karuk Tribe of
California, and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Association (PCFFA)
jointly petitioned for the California State Water Board to hold PacifiCorp
accountable for dangerously high blooms of toxic blue green algae in Klamath
reservoirs. Since 2005, Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs have seen some of the
most toxic blooms of the toxic algae Microcystis aeruginosa ever recorded in the
United States (see <A
href="http://www.karuk.us/press/06-08-08%20toxic%20reservoirs.pdf">http://www.karuk.us/press/06-08-08%20toxic%20reservoirs.pdf</A>
for details). <BR><BR>Health experts warn that even modest exposure to the toxin
produced by the algae, called microcystin, can lead to skin rashes, vomiting,
and diarrhea. High doses of the toxin, such as those found in the Klamath
reservoirs each summer, could lead to massive liver failure and even death in
humans. Microcystin also can poison and kill fish and wildlife. <BR><BR>We want
the California Water Board to hold PacifiCorp accountable for their dams
pollution before someone gets sick,said Klamath Riverkeeper Regina Chichizola.
<BR><BR>According to the petitioners, the State water boards not only have the
authority but the mandate to protect the public from toxins like these in water
bodies. PacifiCorp is clearly in violation of Californias Porter-Cologne Water
Quality Act and its the responsibility of the California State Water Boards to
hold corporate polluters like PacifiCorp accountable and require them to clean
it up,said Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermens Associations
(PCFFA). <BR><BR>The Iron Gate and Copco reservoirs, behind the Klamath dams,
have not only become toxic algae factoriesthat generate microcystin, as set
forth in the petition, but also have caused deteriorating water quality.
Petitioners say the toxic releases have made many people not use the Klamath
River. <BR><BR>For Karuk ceremonial leaders and participants, the toxic blooms
also constitute an infringement on their freedom to practice their religion.
During certain ceremonies, participants bath in the river for long periods of
time making them especially susceptible to exposure. This is one of the ways
that companies like PacifiCorp are complicit in the genocide of Native American
Cultures,said Leaf Hillman, a Karuk Ceremonial leader and tribal Vice-chairman.
<BR><BR>PacifiCorps dams provide optimal growth conditions for the toxic algae
by trapping nutrient rich water in shallow warm reservoirs. Last year the
microcystin toxin levels behind the Klamath dams exceeded World Health
Organization guidelines for a moderate health riskby nearly 4,000 fold. Neither
the United States EPA nor the State of California as yet have independent
guidelines for these toxins. <BR><BR>The Klamath dams are owned by
Portland-based PacifiCorp, which in turn is owned by Billionaire Warren Buffetts
Berkshire Hathaway Company. Although the Buffett family has a reputation for
philanthropy, particularly among Native American causes, they have shown little
interest in addressing the negative impacts their own company has had on the
Klamath River Tribes and the West Coast salmon fishery. <BR><BR>Tribes,
commercial and sport fishermen, Humboldt County, many river-based businesses,
conservation groups, several state and federal agencies, and the Governors of
California and Oregon have all called for the removal of the dams as a means to
restore sustainable runs of salmon to what was once the third most productive
salmon river in America. The human health impacts of the reservoirs have also
been held up as a reason for dam removal. <BR><BR>According to Chichizola, its
hard to imagine how a guy like Warren Buffett can ignore the devastating impacts
his company is having on the rural communities of the Klamath Basin and the
economies of west coast fishing communities.<BR></BODY></HTML>