The governors of California and Oregon are scheduled to join Interior Secretary Sally Jewell in signing an agreement today to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River by 2020, said the North Coast Journal, based in Eureka, CA. The conservation group California Trout says the project is the largest river restoration project ever. It will help rebuild salmon and other fish populations, and create “a blueprint for how opponents in a major western water dispute can overcome differences and find common ground.”
In February, the states, federal regulators and PacifiCorp, the utility that owns the dams, decided to pursue removal of the dams through an administrative process, said Oregon Public Broadcasting. Congress has balked repeatedly at voting on a package of bills that includes the removal. Under the new approach, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will be asked to approve the removal. If FERC gives the go-ahead, PacifiCorp would transfer ownership of the dams to a non-federal entity that would decommission the dams and remove them. The four dams produce less than 2 percent of PacifiCorp’s power.
By handling the dams separately, officials said the remaining elements of the package might gain momentum in Congress. The legislation would help restore the environment, improve fisheries and sustain farming, said Oregon Public Broadcasting.
The removal would involve 50 miles of river now flooded by the lakes behind the dams and was expected to improve habitat in 194 miles of the river below the dams.
The utility and California state bonds would pay for the work, costing as much as $450 million.