Klamath concerns air in Omaha again

Written by Nicholas Grube, The Triplicate

May 2, 2009

Local and regional American Indian tribal members and Klamath River stakeholders are traveling to Omaha, Neb. this weekend for billionaire Warren Buffett’s annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, but their visit is expected to be less disruptive than in previous years where party-crashing, placards and protests were the standard.

The reason for the toned down approach this year, according to some who took the sojourn to Omaha, is the signing of an agreement in principle that, if finalized, would remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River that are operated by Portland, Ore.-based PacifiCorp, which in turn is owned by a subsidiary of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.

“We want to give them some praise for that but at the same time we want people to understand that our concerns have not been fully addressed,” Karuk Tribe Klamath Campaign Coordinator Craig Tucker said while waiting to catch a flight from San Francisco to Omaha. “Our goal is for PacifiCorp and Warren Buffett to close a deal and open up the river.”

For years tribal members, fishermen and conservationists have tried to convince PacifiCorp to remove its dams on the Klamath. They say the dams block 300 miles of prime salmon spawning habitat and blame them for toxic blue-green algae blooms that have floated downstream, causing beach closures and skin rashes.

A preliminary agreement was struck in November to remove the Iron Gate, J.C. Boyle and Copco 1 and 2 dams, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, including a feasibility study to ensure taking out the structures is cost-effective and finalizing the funding mechanisms that will help cover the cost of removal.

Tucker said there’s other negotiations that need to take place surrounding dam removal, such as making sure work is being done to improve the Klamath River’s water quality while the dams are waiting to be removed.

“We’re expecting something great to happen this summer,” Tucker said, referencing a June 30 deadline for a final agreement that would make the Klamath River the site of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. “And we want to share that expectation with shareholders.”

PacificCorp has said it will proceed with an agreement for dam removal if it makes economic sense for its customers.

“We’re optimistic we’ll be able to meet the deadline,” PacifiCorp spokesman Art Sasse told the Chicago Tribune this week.

Not as many people traveled to Omaha for the shareholders meeting this year, and the tactics that will be used to inform people about the Klamath dam issues will be less confrontational.

Last year, a number of protesters waited in line for hours for the chance to address Buffett about the dams during a scheduled question-and-answer at the meeting. They also crashed a cocktail party for the shareholders, and some people laid on the ground with chalk lines drawn around them to simulate their deaths.

Yurok Tribe member Georgiana Myers said none of that is scheduled for this year’s meeting.

“We’re going to all the same events,” she said, “but to mingle and educate and show them that just as we can be in their face, we can be a powerful ally.”