Tea Party Blocks Pact to Restore the Klamath

The New York Times checks in on the progress of the Klamath Dams deal and finds it stymied by local Tea Party activists.

As predicted, it's much more difficult to actually breach those dams than come to an agreement about what should be done, no matter how revolutionary the coalition was that came together two years ago. Stay tuned...

Deal on Dams on Klamath Advances

The New York Times reports on the landmark $1 billion agreement between the upstream and downstream interests in the Klamath Basin. It's potentially a milestone; just the fact that these groups with such conflicting interests were able to sit down and negotiate such a deal is remarkable.

When I was doing the reporting for the documentary, I heard that the opposing groups were meeting (in secret at that time) and trying to reach some common ground. I admit I thought the prospects were dim they'd get this far.

Yet the cold fact is that it is still basically up to PacifiCorp if the dams are to be removed and key parts of this agreement implemented. And I believe chances of that are slim. There are huge costs, monumental engineering challenges, and many intervening variables; including conflicting government jurisdictions and environmental concerns that still have not been resolved.

I hope I'm wrong. As I pointed out above, I never thought they'd get this far. But there still is a long way to go before we see those dams come down and the historic salmon runs reopened in one of the most beautiful regions of the west.

New York Times covers the Klamath Dam controversy

The New York Times takes a look at the Klamath River Dam controversy with a well-balanced piece on whether the dams should be taken down and what that means in our new climate sensitive world. The emphasis on the loss of a cheap, clean power resource for rural areas is the story's strongest point and one that PacifiCorp and its proponents is sure to emphasize during the long fight ahead.

The fight over the Klamath River and its water seems to have shifted some from irrigators vs. salmon to power vs. salmon. In the end, it seems that no matter what the other interest is, it's always another interest vs. salmon and the salmon (and the people and culture surrounding them) appear destined to lose.