Business group supports Klamath County involvement in KBRA, dams 

By ELON GLUCKLICH 

H&N Staff Writer

October 19, 2010

     The Klamath County Chamber of Commerce is urging county residents to vote no on the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement advisory Measure 18-80.     

   A no vote advises the county to stay involved in KBRA and dam removal negotiations.

   The decision came following an Oct. 12 meeting of the chamber’s nine member executive board.

   Charles “Chip” Massie, executive director of the chamber, said the board decided a no vote represented the best interests of the Klamath County community.

   Massie refused to say what the vote margin was.

   “With an issue as big as the KBRA that could conceivably impact our community, to say we don’t want our local representatives to have a seat at the table and be involved is kind of self-defeating,” Massie said. “At the very least, we should have somebody there taking part.”

   Measure 18-80 asks voters if they want Klamath County commissioners to stop taking part in the negotiations overseeing the KBRA and dam removal settlement.

   A yes vote urges commissioners to stop negotiating on the KBRA, while a no vote urges them to continue negotiating.

   The measure is nonbinding, and county leaders do not have to remove themselves from negotiations if the measure passes.

   The KBRA, and its related dam removal document, aims to resolve water disputes in the Klamath River Basin, stabilize power rates for irrigators, fund conservation measures and improve water quality for fish.

   It also advocates removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River.

   Massie, who is not a member of the executive board, said the members discussed the dam removal issue “in great length” before reaching their decision.  

   The Klamath County Chamber of Commerce officially endorsed the KBRA last February. The chamber consists of about 600 business owners and community members in Klamath County, from downtown merchants and retailers to industrial workers and contractors.

   Massie said the decision this month by the chamber’s executive board reflected the urgent need for county leaders to represent their constituents in the negotiating process — no matter what their feelings on dam removal are.

   “The process is moving forward, things are happening that will impact the community,” he said. “It’s very important that we have a seat at the table.”