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Smith, Wyden, Hooley, DeFazio wrangle extra Klamath hearing for Newport
When the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced a series of public hearings
regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the
Klamath Hydroelectric Project, the list of sites excluded the Oregon
coast's top fishing communities, Newport in particular.
In an Oct. 26 letter to FERC Chairman Joseph T. Kelliher, United
States senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) asked
for a hearing on the Oregon coast, preferably in Newport, the
state's largest salmon trolling port.
The additional hearing, they noted, “would provide the greatest
number of Oregon's salmon fishermen an opportunity to be heard
regarding an issues which affects the economy and culture of our
coast.” The letter said management of the Klamath River for weak
stock and Endangered Species Act-listed fish species “has
negatively affected the livelihoods of fishermen, farmers, and
tribes,” and holding hearings in location accessible to all
affected stakeholders “would be of benefit to our constituents.”
FERC officials responded by scheduling a hearing for Thursday, Nov. 30 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Newport Shilo Inn.
“The commission staff looks forward to hearing from Oregon salmon fishermen and others regarding an issue that affects the economy and culture of the Oregon coast,” Kelliher stated in a Nov. 15 letter to Smith.
The DEIS evaluates the environmental consequences of issuing a new license for the continued operation and maintenance of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project located mainly on the Klamath River in Klamath County, and Siskiyou County, Calif. The existing project covers 219 acres of land administered by the U.S. Bureaus of Land Management and Reclamation. The DEIS focuses on several alternatives, including a no-action option.
FERC has already held public sessions in Klamath Falls, and Yreka and Eureka, Calif. The next is scheduled for Nov. 29 in North Bend, followed by the Nov. 30 Newport meeting at the Shilo Inn, 536 SW Elizabeth Street.
Portland-based environmental consultant Jim McCarthy encourages anyone who can to attend the Newport session to show support for salmon-friendly management in the Klamath River.
“These small, outdated dams provide little power, but block hundreds of miles of former salmon habitat, and create river conditions hostile to salmon downstream,” McCarthy noted. “The dam reservoirs provide no flood control, have miniscule water storage, and serve no irrigation purpose. FERC has ignored mandates from NOAA Fisheries and other agencies to either remove the lower four dams, or provide full fish passage to restore salmon to the river above the dams.”
While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ådministration and Pacific Fisheries Management Council “are doing the right thing for the fish,” McCarthy wants to show “real support” for pro-salmon polices in Oregon's coastal communities. He and others believe fishermen are unfairly “paying the price” for the havoc PacifiCorp's dams wreak on salmon. FERC, they say, must fully consider those negative impacts of the lower four dams on ocean fisheries and downstream fishing communities. They urge FERC to consider options - chief among them, dam removal or full fish passage - that would achieve the greatest benefit for salmon and fishing communities.
FERC officials have estimated the cost of removing all four dams (Iron Gate, Copco I, Copco II, and JC Boyle) at $77 million, while adding fish passage facilities under National Marine Fisheries Service requirements could exceed $220 million.
Terry Dillman is a reporter for the News-Times. He can be reached at 265-8571 ext. 225, or terrydillman@newportnewstimes.com.
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