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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> </span></font><span class=apple-style-span><b><i><font size=5><span
style='font-size:16.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>NEWS
RELEASE </span></font></i></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Klamath Riverkeeper · Karuk Tribe · <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Pacific</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> Federation of Fishermens’ Associations</span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style='text-align:auto'>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><b><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 23, 2007</span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div style='margin-left:3.0in;text-align:auto'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:-3.0in'><span class=apple-style-span><b><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Contacts:</span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span
class=apple-style-span><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>Regina</span></font></span></st1:place></st1:City><span
class=apple-style-span> Chichizola, Klamath Riverkeeper:</span><span
class=apple-style-span><b><font size=5><span style='font-size:16.0pt;
font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b>541-951-0126</span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Glen Spain, PCFFA:
541-689-2000</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Craig Tucker, Karuk
Tribe: 530-627-3446 x3027</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-weight:bold'> </span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><b><font size=4 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Tribe, Fishermen, Conservationists
Sue California over Toxic Discharges to <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place></span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><b><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>Groups want state
to regulate PacifiCorp’s Algal Toxins</span></font></i></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'> </span></font></i></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><st1:City w:st="on"><span
class=apple-style-span><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'>Sonoma</span></font></i></span></st1:City><span
class=apple-style-span><i><span style='font-style:italic'>, <st1:State w:st="on">CA<span
style='font-style:normal'>-</span></st1:State><span style='font-style:normal'>
Today the Klamath Riverkeeper, the Karuk Tribe of <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State>,
and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association (PCFFA) filed a
lawsuit against the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">North</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Coast</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
region, for failing to regulate toxic discharges from PacifiCorp’s Klamath dams
and reservoirs.</span></span></i></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The groups
petitioned the board last February demanding that it establish limits on the
amount of the highly toxic algae <i><span style='font-style:italic'>Microcystis
aeruginosa</span></i> that can be discharged into the river by <st1:place
w:st="on">Iron Gate</st1:place> and Copco dams. The dams are located in the
Northeast corner of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>.
The dams are owned by <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portland</st1:place></st1:City>
based PacifiCorp, which in turn is owned by billionaire Warren Buffett.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The groups have
long sought the removal of the dams which degrade water quality and destroy
salmon runs without providing flood control, irrigation diversions or
substantial amounts of electricity to downstream communities.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>In March the board
denied the petitioners request. Although the board appeared to agree with the
petitioners claims – that PacifiCorp’s reservoirs host massive levels of <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>Microcystis aeruginosa</span></i> that threaten human
health – the board argued that they lacked the authority to regulate
PacifiCorp. The suit filed today in California Superior Court in <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Sonoma</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>
argues that congress passed the Clean Water Act explicitly to preserve and
expand states’ authority to regulate water quality.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“When it comes to
this issue, we respectfully disagree with the Water Board’s position. The state
has to stiffen its resolve and act quickly to stop PacifiCorp’s poisoning of
the <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath River</st1:place>,” said Regina Chichizola of
Klamath Riverkeeper.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Since 2005, Iron
Gate and Copco reservoirs have seen some of the most toxic blooms of the toxic
algae <i><span style='font-style:italic'>Microcystis aeruginosa</span></i> ever
recorded in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> (see </span></font></span><a
href="http://www.karuk.us/press/06-08-08%20toxic%20reservoirs.pdf"><span
class=apple-style-span><font color="#0016ff"><span style='color:#0016FF'>http://www.karuk.us/press/06-08-08%20toxic%20reservoirs.pdf</span></font></span></a><span
class=apple-style-span> for details).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>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.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>According to Glen
Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Organizations (PCFFA) the
regional water board not only has the authority but the mandate to protect the
public from toxins like these in water bodies, “PacifiCorp is clearly in
violation of California’s Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act and it’s the
responsibility of the California State Water Boards to hold corporate polluters
like PacifiCorp accountable.” </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The <st1:place
w:st="on">Iron Gate</st1:place> and Copco reservoirs have not only become
“toxic algae factories” that 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 <st1:place w:st="on">Klamath
River</st1:place>.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>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 Warren Buffett’s PacifiCorp are complicit in the genocide of Native
American Cultures,” said Chook Chook Hillman, a Karuk ceremonial participant.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>PacifiCorp’s 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 risk” by nearly 4,000 fold. Neither the United States EPA nor the
State of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>
as yet have independent guidelines for this toxin.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This suit comes on
the heels of a ruling last Friday by a Federal Judge that allows tribal
members, commercial fishermen, and business owners along the river to sue
PacifiCorp for damages associated with their toxic pollution.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Currently
PacifiCorp is engaged in talks with Tribes, conservationists, fishermen,
farmers, as well as state and federal agencies aimed at removing the
troublesome dams.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Over the past
several years Tribes, conservation groups, and fishermen have litigated,
protested, petitioned, and traveled as far away as <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Edinburgh</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Scotland</st1:country-region></st1:place>
to attend shareholder meetings of PacifiCorp parent companies in an effort to
convince the company to remove the dams.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“Hopefully we can
arrive at an agreement that removes the dams and this case will be moot,” said
Craig Tucker, spokesman for the Karuk Tribe, “but until we are sure that
PacifiCorp is willing to negotiate in good faith, we will continue to throw
everything we have at them. This is a fight that the Karuk Tribe simply has to
win.”</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dam removal
proponents note that Warren Buffett owns these dams, which create the very
conditions he hopes to end with his philanthropy.</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><span
class=apple-style-span><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'># # #</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:auto'><span
class=apple-style-span><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><b><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;font-weight:bold'>S. Craig Tucker,
Ph.D.</span></font></b></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Klamath Campaign Coordinator</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Karuk Tribe of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State></span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>office: 530-627-3446 x3027</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>cell: 916-207-8294</span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><a href="mailto:ctucker@karuk.us">ctucker@karuk.us</a></span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p style='margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt'><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> </span></font></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><a href="http://www.karuk.us/"><span class=apple-style-span><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>www.karuk.us</span></font></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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