Native Americans protesting against Scottish Power

20 July 2005     Members of four native American tribes were back in Glasgow this morning demonstrating against Scottish Power and the hydroelectric dams it owns in America. The colourful protest to highlight claims of environmental damage caused by Scottish Power's subsidiary Pacificorps has gone ahead even though the sale of the company's US wing was announced in May. The noisy protest outside Scottish Power's headquarters comes just two days before the company's annual meeting where the tribes will claim Pacificorp has destroyed fishing rights, its dams blocking hundreds of miles of salmon spawning grounds through ancestral land. They want the dams scrapped. Geoff Mitchell from the Klamath-Mordoc tribe said: "We still have people at home that are suffering, that are dying because of a lack of fish. No fish make it to my county and all because of dam blocking." The five billion pound purchase of Pacificorp by US giant Mid American will take 18 months to go through. They claim a personal commitment from the chief executive of Scottish Power was made last year to find a solution to the huge decline in fish stocks on the salmon rivers. Larry Hendrix from the Urok tribe said: "This is some of the fish kill that happened three years ago, over 60,000 fish dead from bad water quality and quantity. They didn't create the problem. They inherited it when they bought it. Whether they knew about the problem, I don't know. They should have." Mike Orcutt from the Hoopa Valley tribe added: "They are the company. They are the people that are the company and they are the people that can resolve this issue in the small amount of time that now exists." No one from Scottish Power was available for interview. The company insists it's an American affair and must be resolved there.

Source:  http://scotlandtoday.scottishtv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s1_1_1&newsid=8362

Tribes continue power firm fight

The fish stocks in the Klamath River have plummeted Native American tribes have returned to Scotland to protest outside the headquarters of Scottish Power. Representatives from four tribes said that the firm's American subsidiary, PacifiCorp, operates dam projects which have led to a drop in salmon numbers. A visit to Scotland last year won the tribes a commitment to find a solution. However, the company announced the sale of PacifiCorp to MidAmerican in May. Scottish Power said it had no direct control over the hydro scheme. The tribes said Scottish Power, which has its HQ in Glasgow, had stonewalled them with negotiations until they could find a buyer for the subsidiary. 'Moral thing to do' They argued that because the sale would take up to 18 months to complete, Scottish Power bosses still had time to act. The Karuk, Yurok, Hoopa and Klamath tribes said the dam development had devastated more than 350 miles of historic salmon spawning grounds on the River Klamath in California and Oregon. The 15-strong delegation said there had been a huge decline of fish numbers in what was once America's third greatest salmon river. Ron Reed, a Karuk tribal fishermen, said: "Removing these dams is both the moral thing to do, and the best economic choice for Scottish Power/PacifiCorp. Scottish Power has not had and will not have any direct involvement in the re-licensing process which, in any case, will ultimately be decided by the Federal authorities A Scottish Power spokesman "The dams are old and inefficient and produce relatively little electricity. They are not vital for energy production, or agriculture. "Their impact on our local environment and tribal cultural resources cannot be understated. "And they threaten Scottish Power's image of being a responsible business that cares for the environment and communities." The visitors called on the utility giant to make the decision to scrap the dams at the firm's annual general meeting on Friday. A Scottish Power spokesman said: "As we said last year, the Klamath negotiations are a PacifiCorp issue that will be resolved in the US, and the proposed sale makes no difference. "The Tribes have already met with MidAmerican and were assured that they will continue to deal with the same executives at PacifiCorp. "Scottish Power has not had and will not have any direct involvement in the re-licensing process which, in any case, will ultimately be decided by the Federal authorities."

Eureka Times-Standard

Klamath River tribal leaders are dogging a Scottish utility to take the reins of its subsidiary as it seeks a new license for hydropower dams that squelch salmon.

For the second year, leaders of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley, Karuk and Klamath tribes are in Scotland making their case for the Klamath's dams to come out. Frustrated with what they see as backpedaling by ScottishPower CEO Ian Russell, the tribes are appealing to shareholders as well as everyday Scots.

PacifiCorp, which merged with ScottishPower in 1999, operates the six dams.

"The man gave us his word," Yurok Councilman Richard Meyers said, "and we're going to hold him to it."

ScottishPower has said PacifiCorp is handling the relicensing, and anyway, a sale of the company to investor Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holdings is pending.

"The Klamath negotiations are a PacifiCorp issue that will be resolved in the U.S. and the proposed sale makes no difference," an unidentified ScottishPower spokesman told the BBC Wednesday.

PacifiCorp is seeking a new 50-year license for its hydropower dams on the Klamath, which produces about 150 megawatts of electricity -- enough for about 150,000 homes. But the dams have hurt the river's salmon runs the tribes rely on by blocking spawning grounds and contributing to poor water quality. There are no fish ladders to take salmon upstream of lowermost Iron Gate Dam.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is overseeing the complicated process, and a parallel and confidential settlement process is meant to come to agreements on the issue.

The contingent appears to have gained some attention in Scotland. The tribes said media coverage has been strong, and several people they've met with have canceled their business with ScottishPower. A member of the Scottish Parliament has even drafted a resolution in support of the tribes' efforts.

"The name ScottishPower cannot be taken to imply that the company's actions have the approval of the people of Scotland," said Scottish Parliament Member Robin Harper in a news release issued by the Karuk Tribe.

Ron Reed of the Karuk Tribe, on the middle Klamath River, said the complex sale of PacifiCorp to MidAmerican is unlikely before FERC comes to a decision. The current license expires in March 2006. That, he said, puts the ball in ScottishPower's court -- regardless of their standoff approach.

"We're not buying that because they're supposed to be a green utility," Reed said. "We gave them the benefit of the doubt."

Tribal representatives will be speaking to shareholders at a ScottishPower general meeting on Friday.

Source:  http://www.times-standard.com/Stories/0,1413,127~2896~2975007,00.html

 

Smoke signals By Martin Waller

SCOTTISH POWER and four tribes of Native Americans are at loggerheads — again. The two sides have been scrapping for years over the Scottish firm’s ownership of a string of dams on the Klamath River, on the West Coast. The latest dispute is over a batch of smoked salmon. The tribes are in Glasgow for three days, culminating in an appearance at the annual meeting tomorrow, and pitched up at Scottish Power’s HQ yesterday for a demo. They claim the dams disrupt salmon spawning grounds and so arrived with a supply of smoked fish from the Klamath for the staff there. The company insists there was not a sniff of salmon on offer; the tribes disagree. My man in the headdress says: “They didn’t come down to get it. We stood outside and had it ourselves.”

Source:  http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8210-1702100,00.html

Source:  http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_23074.shtml

 

Tribes unimpressed by dam talks

The tribes say the Klamath River and its fish are in danger Native American tribes have held talks with Scottish Power after claiming its US arm's dam projects are threatening their livelihood. The Karuk, Yurok, Hoopa and Klamath tribes met chief executive Ian Russell in Glasgow on Friday, but were said to be "unimpressed". Stan Blackley, a spokesman for the group, said they were impatient because their culture was at stake. Scottish Power has said it had no direct control over the hydro scheme. Two tribe members attended the company's AGM at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, while the remainder protested outside. We can give a message to the Scottish Power shareholders that their profit is at the cost of our people Larry Hendrix Yurok tribe They played on hand drums and performed chants to pedestrians on Buchanan Street. The tribes have said the firm's American subsidiary, PacifiCorp, operates dam projects which have led to a drop in salmon numbers. Yurok tribe representative Larry Hendrix said: "We can't afford to give two pence for every Scottish Power share, but we can give a message to the Scottish Power shareholders that their profit is at the cost of our people. 'Be patient' "Just two pence for each share that they have would mean the survival of the River Klamath, the fish within the river, and the ancient tribal nations that rely on the health of the river, and its fish, for their cultural and physical survival." Fourteen members of the lobby group met Mr Russell before the AGM. They said afterwards that Mr Russell had not lived up to his previous commitment to finding a solution. Mr Blackley said: "He gave the same promises that have not been kept over the last year. I have assured them that we will make every endeavour to address issues while we still own PacifiCorp Ian Russell Scottish Power "There is a real feeling that Scottish Power is happy to say the right thing but is not able to do it. "He asked us to be patient, but it is hard to do so when it is your culture and your life on the line. "All we are asking is for two pence from every shareholder to solve this." But Mr Russell said: "I have assured them that we will make every endeavour to address issues while we still own PacifiCorp. "Please don't say that we are washing our hands of the issue - it's not true." During a visit to Scotland last year, the tribes were told a solution would be found.

Source:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4707575.stm

 

Native Americans "quietly optimistic" after meeting Scottish Power

22 July 2005 13:18     Native American tribes pursuing Scottish Power over hydro electric dams in America say they're "quietely optimistic" after a meeting with the company's Chief Executive this morning. The tribes want the dams which are owned by Scottish Power's US subsidiary to be scrapped and they lobbied shareholders as they arrived for the company's AGM in Glasgow. Shareholders were handed two pence coins as they arrived for the annual meeting, the cost they say of removing the dams that are ruining fish stocks on their ancestral land. In May Scottish Power sold the troubled Pacificorp to Mid American for £5b illion, taking a billion pound loss on the price paid six years ago. At this morning's meeting Chief Executive Ian Russel restated his commitment to work with the tribes and other parties to try and find a solution to these complex issues. Mike Orcutt from the Hoopa Valley Tribe said: "I'd like to use the term 'cautiously optimistic'. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. A lot of folk in our delegation felt that there were commitments made last year. But we looked at the results that we saw back in the States in terms of the processes and a lot of people felt that things were not moving quickly enough." Stan Blackley, a Tribes UK Representative, said: "What I heard this morning was just bland corporate speak. It was the same promises we heard last year. These promises weren't kept on behalf of these people." Scottish Power shareholders were sympathetic to the Native Indian protest that Pacificorp's dams were blocking hundreds of miles of salmon spawning grounds. Members of the four Native American tribes say they'll be back next year unless progress is made on their claims, but by then Scottish Power might no longer own Pacificorp.

Source:  http://scotlandtoday.scottishtv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s1_1_1&newsid=8385

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