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Tribes
back water deal
General
Council overwhelmingly approves of pact
By TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
The Klamath Tribes overwhelmingly endorsed the Klamath Basin
Restoration Agreement Saturday during a General Council meeting in
Chiloquin.
The Klamath Tribes approval is one of the first to
involve a group vote rather than that of a board of directors.
Much still needs to be accomplished to move the
agreement forward, said Jeff Mitchell, tribal council member, but the
Tribes’ decision will help with getting other groups on board.
“We’re hoping this starts a chain reaction of
sorts,” he said.
The General Council includes every tribal member over
the age of 18. About 100 members showed up at tribal headquarters in
Chiloquin for the vote. Inclement weather nearly cancelled the meeting.
“We already had people on the road so we decided to
see what would happen,” Mitchell said.
Eight opposed the agreement. Mitchell said some had
concerns about the agreement’s effect on treaty rights, among other
issues.
Stakeholders released the agreement Jan. 15 after two
and-a-half years of negotiations. If approved, it would allocate water
in the
The Klamath Tribes were one of four tribes to
participate in drafting the agreement.
The Tribal Council, composed of the elected leaders of
the Tribes, recommended approval of the agreement, but a vote of the
General Council is required for the Tribes to officially endorse it.
“The General Council’s decision to endorse the
agreement moves the Klamath Tribes and our partners one step closer to a
more sustainable future based upon cooperation among neighbors,” said
Joe Kirk, tribal chairman, in a press release.
The decision isn’t final, though. The General
Council’s vote of endorsement is contingent upon an acceptable
agreement being reached with Portland-based utility PacifiCorp.
The settlement calls for removal of PacifiCorp’s
four hydroelectric dams on the
Mitchell said negotiations were continuing with the
company.
“Without PacifiCorp, there is no deal,” he said.
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