On September 23, 2016, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) filed two applications with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which together mark a major milestone in the process of implementing the revised Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), signed in April 2016.
The primary objective of the KHSA is to decommission four old, unproductive hydropower dams below Klamath Lake, which will open up more than 400 miles of historic spawning and rearing habitat for salmon (and even more for steelhead). Historically, the Klamath River was the third most productive watershed for salmon and steelhead on the West Coast.
Brian Johnson, director of Trout Unlimited’s California and Klamath programs, played a major role in negotiating the revised KHSA and its ancillary agreements. Johnson now serves on the board of the KRRC. Johnson said, “Today’s filings are a big step forward on the road to redemption for the Klamath River and its legendary salmon and steelhead runs. Trout Unlimited applauds PacifiCorp and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation for today’s historic action. The current drought, which has caused severe hardships for farmers and ranchers, tribes, and fish and wildlife, underscores the importance of implementing the principal goals of the Klamath Agreements, before we reach a catastrophic tipping point.”
Johnson added, “The Klamath River is far too important, for people and the environment, to delay further the process of restoring it. The KHSA provides the blueprint for cooperative restoration, and the KRRC is the agent for following this blueprint. Once complete, removal of the four dams will roughly double the available habitat for sea-run fishes in this system, improve recreational and commercial fisheries which depend on this river, and protect utility ratepayers from unexpected rate hikes.”
In today’s action, the KRRC filed a joint application with PacifiCorp, the utility which presently owns the dams, which formally requests that FREC transfer PacifiCorp’s licenses to operate the dams to the KRRC. The second application asks FERC to approve dam decommissioning and removal. Under the KHSA, the KRRC would oversee dam removal which, if approved, would begin in 2020. PacifiCorp will continue to operate the dams until they are decommissioned.
The KHSA, as amended in April 2016, provides the roadmap for the decommissioning and removal of the J.C. Boyle, Copco I and Copco II, and Iron Gate dams on the 373-mile Klamath River and calls for the creation of the KRRC to oversee the process. A diverse set of stakeholders have agreed to this shared vision for the future of the Klamath basin—to date, the 2016 KHSA has been signed by the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Commerce, the states of California and Oregon, the Karuk and Yurok Tribes, PacifiCorp, Trout Unlimited and eight other conservation and fishing groups, and other interested parties. When complete, the KRRC’s efforts will result in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history.
And here’s the link: http://www.tu.org/blog-posts/road-to-redemption-for-the-klamath.
Source: www.thefishingwire.com.