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<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma>Colleagues....</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma>While Felice's analysis in this KlamBlog post is uniquely
his own, is in my view seriously flawed in several places, or based on his
increasingly obsolete information base (since he is now
voluntarily "boycotting" all the Klamath Basin Coordinating Council
(KBCC) public informational meetings), plus he tends to characterize any
meeting he is not personally invited to as "secretive backroom dealings," his
characterization of the next few weeks as a likely to be a "wild ride" is
probably accurate. The Draft EIS for Klamath Dam Removal, together with a
very careful and thorough cost analysis of dam removal itself, will be coming
out on the official web site sometime tomorrow (<A href="http://www.klamathrestoration.gov">www.klamathrestoration.gov</A>)
together with ALL the many and detailed study reports on which that DEIS is
based. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma>Interior Secretary Salazar gave an important speech in SF
on Sept. 19th in which he summarized some of the findings on dam removal under
the Klamath Settlement Agreement coming out in the DEIS. The relevant
Klamath portion of that speech is attached below. These are benefits from
<U>both</U> the <U>two</U> components of the Klamath Settlement Agreement -- the
hydropower only Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA), and the
"related program" also analyzed under NEPA of the Klamath Basin Restoration
Agreement (KBRA). Without the KBRA many of those benefits -- such as a
guaranteed water supply for the National Wildlife Refuges and up to 230,000 more
acre-feet of water back into the river for salmon recovery -- would not exist
even with the dams removed. Though it is a necessary pre-condition,
Klamath dam removal alone will not bring back the Klamath's once mighty salmon
runs nor put more water back into the river. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma>It is for this reason that PCFFA supports both
Agreements.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>=============================================<BR>Glen H. Spain, NW Regional
Director<BR>Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA)<BR>PO
Box 11170, Eugene, OR 97440-3370<BR>O:(541)689-2000 --
Fax:(541)689-2500<BR>Email: fish1ifr@aol.com<BR>Home Page: <A href="http://www.pcffa.org/">www.pcffa.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG>========================================================</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG>Klamath portion of interior Secretary Salazar's
Speech Today in SF on west water issues, this section on the impacts of Klamath
Dam removal. The formal Draft EIS/EIR will be released this Thursday (9/21st).
</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma><STRONG>Klamath River Basin<BR><BR></STRONG>First, in the
Klamath River Basin, severe drought and strain on the system exploded in 2001
with water shortages for agriculture and other users. It was followed in 2002 by
the largest fish die off in the Basin’s history, if not in U.S.
history.<BR><BR>After years of litigation, the parties reached an agreement,
signed in early 2010. Under that agreement, the parties are to undertake a
comprehensive environmental and economic analysis of the impacts of removing
four dams on the Klamath River. <BR><BR>The agreement, which the Obama
Administration stands behind fully, sets up an open, transparent process for
choosing the best path for the Klamath Basin. Science and public engagement are
at the heart of the process.<BR><BR>That’s why, for the past several months, the
Department has been publicly releasing the individual science reports as they
become final. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which compliments these
scientific studies, will be available for public review and comment beginning
Thursday.<BR><BR>The analysis and studies will say a few things.<BR><BR>First,
they will show there are pluses and minuses to dam removal on the Klamath River.
The studies estimate that dam removal would result in the loss of hydroelectric
power generation and the loss of around 50 jobs from managing those facilities.
It would also result in the loss of some recreational opportunities on the
Klamath River reservoirs, and some decrease in property values for landowners
nearby.<BR><BR>On the other hand, the watershed-wide restoration program that is
proposed could add more than 4,600 jobs to the regional economy over 15 years,
including around 1,400 during the year of dam removal. The studies say that the
reliability in water supplies that would be gained would boost gross farm income
and add between 70 and 695 jobs annually to the agricultural
economy.<BR><BR>Moreover, Klamath restoration would help address tribal trust
issues for the Klamath River Basin Tribes and would be beneficial to their water
quality, fisheries, and traditional cultural practices. <BR><BR>The analysis
also suggests there would be benefits to commercial salmon fishermen. It seems
like more often than not in the last decade, there have been salmon fishery
closures in California or Oregon. <BR><BR>With removal of the dams,
though:<BR><BR>· coho would reclaim 68 miles of historical habitat; <BR><BR>·
steelhead, the Klamath River’s most popular sport fishery, would regain 420
miles of historical habitat; and <BR><BR>· commercially harvested Chinook salmon
production would increase by more than 80 percent .<BR><BR>All together, eleven
coastal counties in Oregon and California would see gains of more than 400 jobs
as a result of improved fishing conditions.<BR><BR>Those are significant
numbers.<BR><BR>But we will also be looking closely at the cost of the
restoration.<BR><BR>The analysis that will be available Thursday will show that
the most probable cost of removing the four dams is around $290 million in 2020
dollars, which is below the $450 million state cost cap identified in the KHSA.
<BR><BR>To date, we have maintained a very public process. But we need the
continued input of the public and local communities on the draft
EIS.<BR><BR>Their voices – and all of the economic, environmental, and
scientific information we have gathered - will be critical as I approach my
decision on dam removal in the Klamath River Basin in March, 2012. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Tahoma>====================================================================</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 9/20/2011 2:52:29 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
tstokely@att.net writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial><BR><BR><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 18px; FONT-FAMILY: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; COLOR: rgb(85,136,102); FONT-SIZE: 13px" class=Apple-style-span>
<H2 style="MARGIN: 0px 28px 0px 43px" class=date-header><SPAN><FONT class=Apple-style-span size=3><SPAN style="LINE-HEIGHT: 22px; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; LETTER-SPACING: 2px; FONT-SIZE: 11px" class=Apple-style-span><A title=http://klamblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/before-storm-behind-scenes.html href="http://klamblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/before-storm-behind-scenes.html">http://klamblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/before-storm-behind-scenes.html</A> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN></H2>
<H2 style="LINE-HEIGHT: 2em; TEXT-TRANSFORM: uppercase; MARGIN: 0px 28px 0px 43px; LETTER-SPACING: 0.2em; COLOR: rgb(85,136,102); FONT-SIZE: 11px" class=date-header><SPAN>MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2011</SPAN></H2>
<DIV class=date-posts>
<DIV class=post-outer>
<DIV style="Z-INDEX: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; POSITION: static; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 0px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0.3em 0px 25px; PADDING-LEFT: 13px; PADDING-RIGHT: 13px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 0px dotted; PADDING-TOP: 0px" class="post hentry"><A name=6960891976268094659></A>
<H3 style="BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://www2.blogblog.com/rounders3/icon_arrow.gif); Z-INDEX: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; POSITION: static; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 29px; PADDING-RIGHT: 14px; DISPLAY: block; FONT: bold 135% 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; BACKGROUND-POSITION: 10px 0.5em; COLOR: rgb(51,51,51); BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 0px dotted; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; PADDING-TOP: 2px; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial" class="post-title entry-title">Before the storm – Behind the scenes</H3>
<DIV class=post-header>
<DIV class=post-header-line-1></DIV></DIV>
<DIV style="Z-INDEX: auto; BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(238,238,204) 0px dotted; POSITION: static; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0.75em; PADDING-LEFT: 29px; PADDING-RIGHT: 14px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 0px dotted; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px dotted; PADDING-TOP: 10px" id=post-body-6960891976268094659 class="post-body entry-content"><B>The Coming
Storm</B><BR><BR>In Klamath Country the late summer lull is about to
end. As light wanes and nights become chill the Klamath River – and its
controversial <I>Dam and Water Deals </I>- are about to be in the
national headlines again. Soon after the Fall Equinox the environmental report
needed to “inform” a decision on the <I>Deals </I>by Secretary of
Interior Ken Salazar will come out in draft form. That will kick off a
round of review, hearings, teach-ins, newspaper reports and attempts by
promoters, opponents and those who favor key improvements to promote their
different views on the <I>Klamath Dam and Water
Deals.</I> <BR><BR>For these extraordinary and perhaps
unprecedented* <I>Deals </I>to work, however, and before the
Secretary makes his decision, Congress must pass a bill authorizing the
unusual <I>Deals</I>. According to at least one of the tribe’s promoting
them (the Klamath Tribes), Congress will have to come up with the <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.capitalpress.com/mobile/TH-klamath-update-w-photos-infobox-091611 href="http://www.capitalpress.com/mobile/TH-klamath-update-w-photos-infobox-091611">full
price tag</A> for the KBRA or <I>Water Deal</I>. That price tag is
nearly $1 billion dollars over ten years. <BR><BR>It is hard to imagine
that legislation with a billion dollar price tag could make it through a
divided and cash strapped Congress even if powerful forces were not
opposed. And powerful forces are opposed including Northern California
congressman Tom McClintock (R), the Hoopa Tribe, the basin’s Tea Party groups
and (presumably) other federal tribes across the nation whose budgets would be
raided to provide the tribal share of the ten-year price
tag. <BR><BR>Strange things can happen in Congress, however, when
powerful interests stand to gain. In the Klamath case the big winners in
the<I>Deals</I> are members of not one but three of the West’s most
powerful interests:<BR>
-- A Power Utility and its major investors<BR>
-- Large private irrigation
interests receiving taxpayer subsidized water from federal agencies<BR>
-- Federal Land and Resource
Agencies<BR><A name=more></A><BR>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator><A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255); MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em" title=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSU31cxG6GQ/TneSgyUlZTI/AAAAAAAAASU/4dmx5vJ8GLw/s1600/Warren+Buffett.jpg href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSU31cxG6GQ/TneSgyUlZTI/AAAAAAAAASU/4dmx5vJ8GLw/s1600/Warren+Buffett.jpg" imageanchor="1"><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA1.1316557410@aol.com" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 4px" title=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSU31cxG6GQ/TneSgyUlZTI/AAAAAAAAASU/4dmx5vJ8GLw/s1600/Warren+Buffett.jpg border=0 alt=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dSU31cxG6GQ/TneSgyUlZTI/AAAAAAAAASU/4dmx5vJ8GLw/s1600/Warren+Buffett.jpg width=192 height=135 apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" DATASIZE="7342" ID="MA1.1316557410" ></A></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small"><I>Warren Buffet: his investment company –
Berkshire-Hathaway – owns PacifiCorp and five Klamath River
Dams. </I></SPAN><BR><BR>When someone with the power and influence
of a Warren Buffet want legislation to go through the US Congress, many
obstacles can be overcome. Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway owns PacifiCorp
which owns the Klamath Dams. Compliance with all laws would make the
dams a money loser and going the formal route to dam removal would cost
investors/shareholders. The Dam Deal is a much cheaper alternative for
PacifiCorp, Berkshire Hathaway and Buffet. All that means the<I>Dam
Deal</I> – under which PacifiCorp’s customers and taxpayers will foot the
total bill for dam removal – has a good chance of making it through Congress
one way or another. <BR><BR>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator><A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255); MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em" title=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqKq359Hu3I/TneT3tnIHLI/AAAAAAAAASY/5jlMu_msAlY/s1600/UpKlamBsnAg_7-2-01+%285%29.jpg href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqKq359Hu3I/TneT3tnIHLI/AAAAAAAAASY/5jlMu_msAlY/s1600/UpKlamBsnAg_7-2-01+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA2.1316557410@aol.com" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 4px" title=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqKq359Hu3I/TneT3tnIHLI/AAAAAAAAASY/5jlMu_msAlY/s1600/UpKlamBsnAg_7-2-01+%285%29.jpg border=0 alt=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MqKq359Hu3I/TneT3tnIHLI/AAAAAAAAASY/5jlMu_msAlY/s1600/UpKlamBsnAg_7-2-01+%285%29.jpg width=400 height=265 apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" DATASIZE="41637" ID="MA2.1316557410" ></A></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic"></SPAN><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small">Klamath
Irrigators got what they wanted in the Water Deal. If the deal is memorialized
in federal legislation these irrigators will be first in line for Klamath
Water ahead of at risk salmon and other private irrigators
</SPAN></I></DIV><BR>Whether the <I>Water Deal </I>remains
part of the final legislative package is another story. Due to its cost and
the controversy it has generated, prospects for it to be enacted as negotiated
appear slim. The Bureau of Reclamation and the <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://klamblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/meet-klamath-river-basins-irrigation.html href="http://klamblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/meet-klamath-river-basins-irrigation.html"><I>Irrigation
Elite</I></A> they serve will have a hard time holding on to the
first-in-line-for-Klamath-water provisions they negotiated; the damage to
non-federal irrigators is just too great. <BR><BR>Even if
some <I>Water Deal </I>provisions manage to remain in final Klamath
dam removal legislation, however, there is a good chance Congress will make
changes to those provisions. Those who want to fix the<I>Water Deal</I>, not
kill it, have a good chance for success if they are organized, determined and
can find champions in Congress for those changes. For example, a better
guarantee of water for the Klamath Refuges and the <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1528811269/National-Research-Council-Basin-wide-study-needed-to-assess-water-flows-in-Klamath href="http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1528811269/National-Research-Council-Basin-wide-study-needed-to-assess-water-flows-in-Klamath">basin-wide
flow study</A> recommended by the National Research Council in order to
properly set in-river flows could become part of what emerges from
Congress. <BR><BR>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator><A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255); MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em" title=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nP0d9UoYMdU/TneZfaXLU3I/AAAAAAAAASg/-Uz6TMcOhvY/s1600/Lower+Klamath+Sunset_001.jpg href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nP0d9UoYMdU/TneZfaXLU3I/AAAAAAAAASg/-Uz6TMcOhvY/s1600/Lower+Klamath+Sunset_001.jpg" imageanchor="1"><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA3.1316557410@aol.com" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 4px" title=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nP0d9UoYMdU/TneZfaXLU3I/AAAAAAAAASg/-Uz6TMcOhvY/s1600/Lower+Klamath+Sunset_001.jpg border=0 alt=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nP0d9UoYMdU/TneZfaXLU3I/AAAAAAAAASg/-Uz6TMcOhvY/s1600/Lower+Klamath+Sunset_001.jpg width=400 height=267 apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" DATASIZE="24025" ID="MA3.1316557410" ></A></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small"><I>Lower
Klamath and Tule Lake NWRs - and the 80% of Pacific Flyway birds which rely
upon them - are dependent on the Bureau of Reclamation and the Irrigation
Elite for water supply</I></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><BR></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator><A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255); MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em" title=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwpyN1PWtjg/TnebWaX0WfI/AAAAAAAAASk/nZkavEs9ZZU/s1600/Scott+R+nr+Ft+Jones+10-2-09_001.JPG href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwpyN1PWtjg/TnebWaX0WfI/AAAAAAAAASk/nZkavEs9ZZU/s1600/Scott+R+nr+Ft+Jones+10-2-09_001.JPG" imageanchor="1"><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA4.1316557410@aol.com" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 4px" title=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwpyN1PWtjg/TnebWaX0WfI/AAAAAAAAASk/nZkavEs9ZZU/s1600/Scott+R+nr+Ft+Jones+10-2-09_001.JPG border=0 alt=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wwpyN1PWtjg/TnebWaX0WfI/AAAAAAAAASk/nZkavEs9ZZU/s1600/Scott+R+nr+Ft+Jones+10-2-09_001.JPG width=300 height=400 apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" DATASIZE="47917" ID="MA4.1316557410" ></A></DIV>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small"><I>The
dewatered Scott River near Fort Jones on October 2, 2009. A basin-wide flow
assessment would encompass major tributaries including the Scott, Shasta and
Trinity.</I></SPAN></DIV><BR>KlamBlog previously pointed out that the federal
land and resource management agencies– the Bureaus of Reclamation and Land
Management and the Forest , National Marine and National Wildlife Services -
collectively known these days as the “Federal Family” - are the real
architects of the <I>Klamath Deals</I>. Key federal bureaucrats
recognized years ago that the likelihood of dam removal (money loosing dams
can’t survive relicensing) presented an opportunity to get back control of
Klamath River Basin water management from the courts acting on behalf of
salmon, fishermen and the federal tribes. <BR><BR>The bureaucrats
decided then to try to hitch a <I>Water Deal </I>which suited them
to what would likely be a popular dam removal deal. Without changes,
legislation implementing the <I>Water Deal</I> will provide federal
bureaucrats with what they most desire – the authority to manage water, land
and resources professionally - that is, undemocratically - and out of the
public eye. Whether Congress will go along with undemocratic <I>Water
Deal</I> governance provisions, however, is not clear.<BR><BR>
<DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both" class=separator><A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255); MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em" title=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qh9eaChDQfc/Tneqk0klO9I/AAAAAAAAASw/zjhqzLITpas/s1600/federal+bureaucracy.jpg href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qh9eaChDQfc/Tneqk0klO9I/AAAAAAAAASw/zjhqzLITpas/s1600/federal+bureaucracy.jpg" imageanchor="1"><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA5.1316557410@aol.com" style="BORDER-BOTTOM: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; MARGIN: 0px 0px 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 4px; PADDING-RIGHT: 4px; BORDER-TOP: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; BORDER-RIGHT: rgb(85,136,102) 1px solid; PADDING-TOP: 4px" title=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qh9eaChDQfc/Tneqk0klO9I/AAAAAAAAASw/zjhqzLITpas/s1600/federal+bureaucracy.jpg border=0 alt=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qh9eaChDQfc/Tneqk0klO9I/AAAAAAAAASw/zjhqzLITpas/s1600/federal+bureaucracy.jpg width=136 height=160 apple-width="yes" apple-height="yes" DATASIZE="6658" ID="MA5.1316557410" ></A></DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small"><I>Since the opening of the American West, federal
bureaucrats have competed with locals for control of land, water and
resources</I></SPAN><BR><BR>Historically, these federal agencies – the Bureaus
of Reclamation and Land Management and the Forest, National Marine and
National Wildlife Services - have competed with westerners for control of
water, land and resource management. As KlamBlog has pointed out before,
The <I>Water Deal</I> provides for renewed federal dominance in
Klamath water management. Under it decisions on how water is managed would be
made by federal and tribal bureaucrats meeting behind closed
doors. <BR><BR>The alternative to federal back room management is
the <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://bigthink.com/ideas/24964 href="http://bigthink.com/ideas/24964">democratic basin-governance
model </A>which was originally championed by scientist and western
explorer John Wesley Powell. We see the democratic model in operation
today in traditional irrigation districts and in those river basins which have
empowered and effective, all-party river commissions. The closest thing
we have seen to that model proposed so far in the Klamath River Basin is
Siskiyou County’s call for an open process to develop a basin-wide restoration
plan. <BR><BR><B>Behind the Scenes</B><BR><BR>In advance of the
coming legislative battle those who are promoting the <I>Deals</I>, those
who oppose them, and those who want to fix what they consider fatal flaws are
all active. <BR><BR>The <I>Two Rivers
Tribune </I>recently <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.tworiverstribune.com/2011/08/klamath-bill-circulating-in-secret/ href="http://www.tworiverstribune.com/2011/08/klamath-bill-circulating-in-secret/">reported </A>that
draft legislation to implement the <I>Dam and Water Deals </I>is
“circulating in secret". The Hoopa Tribe is upset that the feds have not
shared the draft bill with them and all other federal tribes which will be
affected by it. Only those tribes and private parties which signed
the <I>Deals</I> have been invited to review and comment on the
draft; the Hoopa and Quartz Valley Tribes and the Resighini Rancheria have
been denied the opportunity to review and comment. <BR><BR>Oregon Senator
Jeff Merkley and California Congressman Mike Thompson have reportedly agreed
to sponsor the legislation. Key environmental constituents who have
supported Mike Thompson in the past, have asked him to fix what they consider
fatal flaws in the <I>Deals</I>in any legislation he sponsors. There is
no indication, however, that Thompson is consulting with these
supporters. <BR><BR>On the opposition side,
Siskiyou County’s supervisors are in the midst of a major effort to get the
federal agencies to “consult” with them about Klamath River and all other land
and resource management issues. Four deluded supervisors out of five
apparently believe that<A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://users.sisqtel.net/armstrng/opinion091311.html href="http://users.sisqtel.net/armstrng/opinion091311.html">federal managers
must defer</A> to their local radical right, anti-tribe sentiment. So far
the county supervisors get lip service from the<A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1249731927/County-KNF-meet-to-discuss-travel-management-policies href="http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/news/x1249731927/County-KNF-meet-to-discuss-travel-management-policies">Forest
Service </A>which dutifully appears when called but the National Marine
Fisheries Service recently <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/lifestyle/agriculture/x351390313/National-Marine-Fisheries-Service-a-no-show href="http://www.siskiyoudaily.com/lifestyle/agriculture/x351390313/National-Marine-Fisheries-Service-a-no-show">refused
a similar demand</A> for them to appear.<BR><BR>Siskiyou County’s radical
right supervisors appear convinced that Siskiyou voters will back their
efforts to get the feds to defer to them on water, land and resource
management. In the midst of cuts to most county services, they recently voted
to pay lawyer <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://justicemyass.com/id1.html href="http://justicemyass.com/id1.html">Fred Kelly Grant</A> $250 per
hour to act as their “coordination counsel”.<BR><BR>A criminal lawyer by
profession, in recent years Grant has worked for the property rights
group <I>Stewards of the Range</I> which has now become <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=https://www.americanstewards.us/ href="https://www.americanstewards.us/"><I>American Stewards of
Liberty</I></A>. His current effort is promoted by an organization calling
itself <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.trademarkamerica.org/34.html href="http://www.trademarkamerica.org/34.html"><I>Trademark America</I></A>.
For an introduction to the network of interconnected property rights
organizations see <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.pollutionissues.com/Pl-Re/Property-Rights-Movement.html href="http://www.pollutionissues.com/Pl-Re/Property-Rights-Movement.html">this
link</A>. <BR><BR>While Grant forcefully presents <A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.citizensforaconstitutionalrepublic.com/grant_How_Coordination_Plans_Work.html href="http://www.citizensforaconstitutionalrepublic.com/grant_How_Coordination_Plans_Work.html">legal
arguments</A> for a federal coordination requirement, he does not site
nor has he apparently been involved with a single court case upholding a
requirement that federal officials defer to county land and resource
management plans and policies. Instead, Grant and the American Stewards of
Liberty of which he is a part appear to be attempting to ride the Tea Party
wave into a new era of county-level political resistance to state and federal
authority. <BR><BR>Meanwhile those who see much good in
the <I>Klamath Deals</I> but also fatal flaws are organizing to
secure the changes they say are needed. For these folks the devil is in
critical details which they would like to see all affected citizens
understand. The Redwood Chapter Sierra Club, the Environmental
Protection Information Center, Northcoast Environmental Center and Redwood
Chapter of the Audubon Society are sponsoring a teach-in on the Secretarial
Determination Process, the Draft EIS/EIR to inform that decision and the
issues which will arise when Klamath legislation is introduced in
Congress. The teach-in will take place on Wednesday October 19th at the
Warfinger Building in Eureka. Other educational efforts are also being
planned. <BR><BR><A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://www.globalforestcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Short-Guide-to-Indigenous-Peoples-Rights.pdf href="http://www.globalforestcoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Short-Guide-to-Indigenous-Peoples-Rights.pdf"><I>Informed
Consent</I></A> is a process which Indigenous Karuk-Yurok leader Chris
Peters has stressed is missing from <I>Dam and Water
Deal</I>processes. According to Peters - who is a member of the Yurok
Tribe - when Indigenous water and other rights are involved, all tribal
members should be fully informed and a majority of members should give their
consent before the tribal governing body signs on. Oregon’s Klamath Tribes is
the only tribal government to yet hold a referendum on the Deals. That tribe’s
members voted to support the Deals which would provide them with the means to
regain a land and resource base. <BR><BR><B>Into the
light</B><BR><BR>KlamBlog has pointed out many times how and why secret and
back room dealing has come to dominate Klamath River water, land, resource and
restoration management and decision making. We have not hidden the fact that
we see that dominance as morally, socially and environmentally wrong.
Undemocratic, backroom management by any collection of entities is not in the
interest of the Klamath River or Klamath Salmon. <BR><BR>KlamBlog is a
strong advocate for open, democratic and science-driven water management and
restoration because it is the People’s right to see how public water and
public resources are being managed. While back room dealing will no doubt
continue, once the Draft EIS/EIR is released and Klamath Legislation is
introduced into Congress essential decisions will have to be made in
public.<BR>Finally, all those with an interest in the Klamath River will have
an opportunity to understand what is at stake and the trade-offs their leaders
have accepted. All citizens who have a stake will have the opportunity
to weigh in as is their right; the Klamath is – after all is said and done – a
public river. <BR><BR>As public deliberations replace back room
shenanigans KlamBlog will be there enthusiastically pushing for full
disclosure, continuing to publicize what others seek to keep hidden and
thereby seeking to empower citizens to get involved and to make a
difference.<BR><BR>It is likely to be a wild
ride.<BR>___________________________<BR> <SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: x-small">* The unprecedented nature of the Dam and Water
Deals may be the combination of a tribal water rights settlement (Klamath
Tribes) with a dam removal deal. Tribal water rights settlements have been
going on in the West since the 80s; for the most part, tribes have traded vast
unperfected water rights for money and other considerations. History will not
look kindly on this second great swindle of America’s Indigenous
peoples. The<A style="COLOR: rgb(0,127,255)" title=http://digital.law.washington.edu/dspace-law/bitstream/handle/1773.1/1043/1WJELP042.pdf?sequence=4 href="http://digital.law.washington.edu/dspace-law/bitstream/handle/1773.1/1043/1WJELP042.pdf?sequence=4"> proposed
termination of the federal trust responsibility </A>with respect to the
rights of all six of the Basin’s federally recognized tribes – whether or not
they agree to that termination – also appears to be unprecedented.
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