Klamath Dam-Removal Agreement Signed

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GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — An agreement signed Thursday lays the groundwork for removing four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River to help one of the West Coast’s most beleaguered salmon runs and end a longstanding environmental dispute.

Tribes, farmers, fishermen and conservation groups started three years ago on the heavy lifting of overcoming their differences to find a solution they all could live with, resulting in their Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement signed last January, Rothert said. That agreement included resolutions of long-standing conflicts such as irrigation and river flows, while lacking the key ingredient of removing the dams.

Removal of the PacifiCorp dams is expected to begin by 2020. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said in a conference call that President George W. Bush had told officials “to find a collaborative solution” that doesn’t pit one interest group against another.

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