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Groups
urge full reading of plan
Both
sides want people to read water proposal
By
TY BEAVER
H&N
Staff Writer
Opponents
and proponents continue to push one primary message about the proposed
Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement: Read it for yourself.
The
water settlement allocates water resources in the
The
256-page document was released to the public a little more than a week
ago, ending two-and-a-half years of closed-door meetings.
Meetings
are planned in coming weeks
Since
then, supporters and opponents have spread their messages through
meetings, rallies, newspaper advertisements and word of mouth.
Both
have different motives and perspectives: One side calls the agreement a
means to a better future for the
But
both sides also say people need to form their own opinions, sort through
misinformation and voice their positions.
“Don’t
believe what I’m saying, don’t believe what the other side is
saying,” said Edward Bartell, president of the Klamath Off-Project
Water Users Inc.
Jeff
Mitchell, Klamath Tribes council member, and Greg Addington, executive
director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said those they
represent are taking the agreement seriously and considering it
carefully.
Both
arranged informational meetings for tribal members and Klamath Project
irrigators. The tribal General Council is expected to make its decision
Feb. 4, and area irrigation district boards will make decisions in
coming weeks.
“I’m
pleasantly surprised at all the folks who’ve taken this agreement and
dug into it,” Mitchell said.
Likewise, Bartell and others opposed to the agreement
have continued to campaign against it through newspaper advertisements
and word of mouth.
Bartell said a strategy to challenge the agreement is
still being formulated. Opponents urged people to read the document,
write letters and contact government officials.
Proponents initially hoped to move past the review and
local approval phase of the agreement by mid-February, in order to
facilitate conversations with PacifiCorp and move debate to
But Addington said they would adjust that timeline, if
necessary.
“We’re not going to rush people into this or shove
it down people’s throats,” he said.
County governments need public comment to determine
whether to sign it, and state and federal lawmakers will likely want a
strong consensus when it reaches them.
“Our legislators have said they want this to be a
publicly driven decision,” said Tom Mallams, an off-Project irrigator
and board member of the Klamath Off-Project Water Users.
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Source: http://pioneer.olivesoftware.com/Daily/Skins/heraldandnews/