Federal government, California and Oregon seek removal of Klamath dams

Four hydroelectric dams in the Pacific Northwest will be removed according to the agreement of Oregon, California and the federal government. Pacificorp affirmed that the government's actions will not seek any approval from Congress.

If the removal of the damn will push through, it will be considered as a long awaited victory for the tribes that fought for years in order to retain the rivers for the salmons that the tribes are relying on for ceremony and their mere survival. The move will also give hope for the struggling farmers to get more water in ranches that are drought stricken in the Klamath basin as per The Washington Post.

According to Bob Gravely, the spokesman for PacifiCorp, the new deal will give the ownership to a nonprofit corporation that will handle the hydroelectric dams and will assume responsibility for any damages that curtails in the removal of the dams. But all of these plans will still undergo the approval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

According to Record Searchlight, Pacificorp and the two state officials of Oregon and California will have a meeting at the EPA building in Sacramento. They will discuss the proposed plans for the removal of the Klamath dams.

As reported by Herald and News, Richard Whitman, the Natural Resource Policy Director, outlined the amendments has been considered by PacifiCorp and the states of Oregon and California.

Over the years, the presence of dams prohibited the migration of salmons, alter the flow of water, increased the problem of algae and also degraded the quality of the water. The tribes around the area hope that with the removal of the dam, comes the return of the salmons in their natural spawning area.

Pacificorp on the other hand has always supported the removal of the dams due to the liability protection that it entails. The expected amount of the project would cost around $450 million that will come from the funds of PacifiCorp from its customers in California and Oregon.

Tags

California, California dams, Klamath dams, hydroelectric dams, California tribes, salmon habitat, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Richard Whitman, Pacificorp, Oregon

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