SILETZ NEWS
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Vol. 44, No. 5
May 2016
Siletz News
Confederated Tribes of
Siletz Indians
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Delores Pigsley,
Tribal Chairman
Brenda Bremner,
General Manager
and Editor-in-Chief
Presorted
First-Class
Mail
U.S. Postage
Paid - Permit
No. 178
Salem, OR
Family Literacy
Night Finale
Carnival
April 14, 2016
Siletz Tribal
Community
Center
Courtesy photo by
Alicia Keene
Youth participate in
the Literacy Search
game, finding in
magazines such
things as something
that starts with an
“S,” a number, a
word they can read
and the letters that
spell their name.
State, federal officials sign new agreements to remove Klamath River dams
KLAMATH, Calif. – The states of
Oregon and California, PacifiCorp and
the U.S. Departments of the Interior and
Commerce signed an agreement on April
6 that, following a process administered by
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commis-
sion (FERC), will result in the removal of
four dams on the Klamath River by 2020,
making it one of the largest river restora-
tion efforts in the nation.
State and federal officials also signed
a new, separate agreement with irrigation
interests and other parties known as the
2016 Klamath Power and Facilities Agree-
ment (KPFA). This agreement will help
Klamath Basin irrigators avoid potential
adverse financial and regulatory impacts
associated with the return of fish runs
to the Upper Klamath Basin, which are
anticipated after dam removal.
The signing ceremony took place at
the mouth of the Klamath River on the
Yurok Indian Reservation in Klamath.
Gov. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown was joined
by California Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.;
Pacific Power President and CEO Stefan
Bird; Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell;
NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sulli-
van; representatives of the Yurok, Karuk
and Klamath Tribes; non-governmental
organizations; and farmers and ranchers
from the Klamath Basin.
“These agreements are more than ink
and paper, they are a roadmap to the future
of the Klamath Basin and of the people
who live there,” said Kate Brown. “I’m
proud to be a part of a plan that invokes
the spirit of collaboration to ensure the
recovery of the area Tribes’ historic fish-
ing grounds while sustaining the region’s
farming and ranching heritage.”
This new agreement acknowledges
additional work is necessary to fully
restore the Klamath Basin; advance the
recovery of its fisheries; uphold trust
responsibilities to the Yurok, Karuk and
Klamath Tribes; and sustain the region’s
farming and ranching economy.
“Today is a historic day where the
parties who have worked for decades to
restore the Klamath Basin are reaffirm-
ing their commitment to each other for
the shared vision of fisheries restoration
and irrigated agriculture co-existing as
we move into the future,” said Jewell “This
agreement is an important initial step as
we work toward a comprehensive set of
actions to advance long-term restoration
and sustainability for Tribes, fisheries,
and agriculture and water users across the
Klamath Basin.”
Many of these efforts will require con-
gressional action and the agreement com-
mits the signatories to actively cooperate
with all Klamath Basin stakeholders –
members of Congress, Tribes, farmers and
others – to develop additional agreements
over the next year to offer comprehensive
solutions to these issues.
“These agreements will enable the
largest dam removal project in the nation,”
said Sullivan. “While more work lies
ahead, these agreements support efforts
to recover fisheries, sustain the region’s
farming and ranching interests, and benefit
the environment and the communities who
rely upon the Klamath River.”
The newly amended dam removal
agreement, which uses existing non-
federal funding and the same timeline as
the original agreement, will be filed with
FERC on or about July 1 for consideration
under its established processes, which
includes public involvement.
“This historic agreement will enable
Oregon and California and the interested
parties to get these four dams finally
removed and the Klamath River restored
to its pristine beauty,” said Edmund G.
Brown Jr.
Under the settlement, dam owner
PacifiCorp will transfer its license to oper-
ate the Klamath River dams to a private
company known as the Klamath River
Renewal Corporation. This company will
oversee dam removal starting in 2020.
PacifiCorp will continue to operate the
dams until they are decommissioned.
“PacifiCorp continues to support the
Klamath settlement as a fair way forward
for our electricity customers in Oregon,
California and beyond. The company is
committed to continuing to work with
our settlement partners to fully enact this
important agreement,” said Bird.
In 2010, Klamath Basin stakeholders
signed the Klamath Basin Restoration
Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath
Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement
(KHSA). In 2014, the Upper Klam-
ath Basin Comprehensive Agreement
(UKBCA) was signed.
Members of the California and
Oregon delegations introduced legisla-
tion in the past two Congresses to advance
the hard-fought KHSA and two related
Klamath agreements; however, the U.S.
Congress adjourned last year without
authorizing them.
The expiration of the KBRA last
December caused uncertainty in moving
forward with the KHSA and UKBCA.
In early 2016, the parties that have
spent years negotiating the pacts resolved
to find a new path forward. The amended
KHSA and the 2016 Klamath Power and
See Klamath on page 12