Klamath River Dam Removal Project will Proceed as Biggest in US History
The largest dam removal project in US history has been green-lighted for 2023, when four antiquated dams will finally be demolished, ending a twenty-year environmental battle to save the Klamath River and its salmon runs. The river flows 257 miles from the Oregon desert into California and the Pacific Ocean. It traverses the forested tribal lands of the Karuk and Yurok and other native peoples, who have depended upon the river for physical and spiritual nourishment throughout their histories. The four dams were built on the Upper Klamath to divert water for farming and to produce hydroelectric power. Two of them are over fifty years old (which is the generally accepted life expectancy of a dam); the others two are over 100 years old. In recent years, toxic blue-green proliferated in the reservoirs behind the dams, and the already declining salmon runs plummeted precipitously.
The campaign for dam removal began over 20 years ago. Mounting a grass roots movement supported by fishermen and mainstream environmental groups, the Klamath basin tribes protested first at the headquarters of PacifiCorp, the dams’ owner, in Portland, Oregon. Later they took their campaign to Scottish Power, Pacific Corp’s parent company, in Edinburgh Scotland, where they challenged Scottish Power’s reputation as an environmental champion by publicizing the decimation of the Klamath salmon populations. In response, Scottish Power acknowledged that it was open to the possibility of dam removal; but, instead, it sold PacifiCorp to Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet’s holding company. The tribes and their supporters persisted, shifting their protests to Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meetings in Omaha and to its corporate offices in six U.S. cities.
In 2008, PacifiCorp made its first public commitment to removal. Years of negotiations followed between the tribes, which were supported by environmental groups and fishing associations, the states of Oregon and California, and PacifiCorp., which was supported by farming interests. A deal for the Klamath River Renewal Project was eventually signed, contingent on authorizing legislation, funding and environmental review. The federal government finally signed onto the deal in 2016, approving dam removal as early as 2020. But, the federal regulatory agency (FERC) blocked implementation, allegedly based on concerns about Pacific Corp’s refusal to accept any responsibility for unbudgeted liability potentially arising from the removal. That obstacle was partially overcome when the two states agreed to shoulder risks of unbudgeted costs. Then, in late July of this year, California Governor Newsom wrote to Warren Buffet, personally and publicly urging him to act “on behalf of this remarkable environmental and cultural restoration.”
Pressure mounted, and ELC joined the chorus of those supporting the tribes’ efforts. Grant Wilson wrote to Warren Buffett, urging consideration of an Earth-centered perspective: “ The salmon populations nourish humans, both physically and financially; and they keep the forest healthy. The forest provides an invaluable climate buffer, keeping temperatures down, air clean, and rivers flowing. All presently living things have evolved in a climate which is fast disappearing. For their own present and future welfare humans and human organizations need to slow this change and stabilize the climate. The Klamath River Dam Removal Project is an important contribution to that effort. It … will serve as a model of governmental and private sector cooperation and foresight.”
It will also serve as an inspiring example of Native American leadership, coalition building, grass roots organizing, and perseverance. In November, PacifiCorp withdrew its last objection to the dams’ removal, virtually assuring that they will be razed. ELC salutes all those who have worked so long and hard on this project.
Now we can turn to other rivers for which dam removal would help restore them to health. ELC has long advocated for the rights of the Snake River. This year, the Nez Perce General Council passed a resolution recognizing the rights of the river, including its right to flow. We hope this campaign will provide new support for removing the Lower Snake River dams, which devastate salmon populations as well as related marine species, such as Southern Resident Orcas.
