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This Website is Dedicated to Alvin Alexander Cheyne January 10, 1921 - June 17, 2005 |
Klamath
River
settlement is nearly ready
The
Oregonian
The Portland-based
utility invited 28 groups, including state and federal agencies, three
county governments, irrigators, four tribes and environmental
organizations into the settlement negotiations.
Now, the groups involved
say they expect to release details of a settlement in a few weeks to a
few months.
The settlement is
expected to lead to the Klamath Summit, an event promised by the
governors of
The settlement talks
included discussions on affordable power rates for irrigators, the
sustainability of fish in the
Dan Keppen of the Family
Farm Alliance said water issues in the
Events such as a decision
to shut off irrigation water to save fish in 2001 created rifts in
communities and among government agencies.
Keppen said that many of
the negotiating methods employed to resolve those issues added to the
conflict -- including lawsuits, aggressive legislation and attacks
through the media.
"It just wasn't
healthy at all," he said.
When the relicensing for
the dams came up, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave
PacifiCorp the option of a settlement with involved stakeholders -- or
the traditional legal and technical process that works through petitions
and testimony.
The utility decided to
try both options.
Greg Addington, executive
director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said the mix of groups
influenced his organization to introduce discussions of water supplies,
affordable power and the possibility of reintroducing migratory fish
species to the
"It's not often you
get two states, the feds and four tribes in the same room," he
said.
Addington noted that with
so many different groups working on complex issues, individual
philosophies would be challenged.
Both he and Craig Tucker,
Klamath Campaign coordinator for the Karuk Tribe of California, said
that some groups tied up the negotiations at times, causing old feelings
to resurface and the process to get bogged down. The Karuk Tribe is
seeking the sustainability of fish species in the river as a resource
for tribal members.
But the efforts are
paying off, participants said.
It's
"impressive," Tucker said, "that it's the farmers and the
tribes that get along the best of any two groups in the room."
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Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/
base/news/1177640704312320.xml&coll=7