A paradigm shift in resolving conflict

January 29, 2008

The Oregonian  

By Martin Goebel, President of Sustainable Northwest

A proposed agreement for restoration of the Klamath Basin -- the result of two years of negotiations by a score of diverse representatives -- has now been released and deserves the thoughtful consideration of all Oregonians.

Some have been quick to criticize the agreement because PacifiCorp, owner of the four Klamath dams the agreement proposes for removal, still needs to decide what its role will be. While we should push the utility to act, we should also recognize its legal responsibility to its shareholders.

But the more compelling story isn't whether the dams will come out -- that's just a matter of time and negotiation. The breakthrough is about the courage of people overcoming their differences, facing down controversy and taking leadership to protect their communities, restore the environment and create economic opportunity for their families. The collaboration that went into this effort points to a paradigm shift in our society's approach to environmental conservation and economic development in the West.

Less than a decade ago, the community-based process behind this negotiation was unthinkable. In 2001, the shutoff of irrigation water to protect endangered fish made the Klamath Basin the poster child for environmental conflict in the West. The status quo was litigation and distrust, yielding few large improvements for fish and no greater security for agriculture.

Today, the proposed Klamath agreement reflects a new approach to the West's natural resources. Instead of attacks through lawyers or the press, people have worked toward mutual understanding. It has taken thousands of hours of meetings and technical work to design the proposed solutions. And unlike previous conditions imposed by government or the courts, this accord was forged from the ground up.

We should look carefully at the details of the agreement, improving it where necessary. But we should also understand it as a complex whole. To dismiss it risks saying that the blunt hammer of single-issue litigation is society's only tool for restoring the West's complex social, ecological and economic systems. That's been the status quo for the past several decades. That's not the West we want to live in.

Our national politicians should follow the example set by the people of the Klamath Basin , roll up their sleeves and work toward bipartisan solutions to the problems we face.

We also should make it easy for PacifiCorp to make the right decision. We should encourage it to be a good corporate citizen and remove the four Klamath dams -- even if it means paying a bit more on our own power bills.

The negotiators in the Klamath Basin point to a new horizon and have created a path to get there. Now all of us -- rural constituencies, urban corporations, citizens and representatives -- face the same question: Do we join them on this path toward sustainability?

For the past two years, negotiators grappled with hard choices as they crafted this historic agreement. Now it's our turn to make a hard choice: Do we move forward into the territory ahead or perpetuate the status quo?

Martin Goebel is president of Sustainable Northwest, a Portland based nonprofit.

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