Statement on removal of 4 Klamath dams anticipated

A major announcement about moving forward with the largest river restoration project in U.S. history is expected Wednesday. A news release said the announcement is related to four hydroelectric dams, environmental restoration and water reliability along the 263-mile Klamath River. The announcement will be made in Klamath, Calif., at the Yurok Tribe Reservation. According to the release, the announcement will be made by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Interior Deputy Secretary Michael Connor, and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and California Gov. Edmund Brown Jr. Federal, state and Native American leaders, non-governmental organizations and water users will also join in the announcement, the release said. Earlier this year, the states of Oregon and California, PacifiCorp and the federal government announced an agreement-in-principle to move forward with amending the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). The KHSA outlines provisions for removing the Oregon J.C. Boyle Dam, and three California dams, Copco 1 and 2 and Iron Gate Dam. The dams make up four of five that control water along the 263-mile-long Klamath River. They are owned by PacifiCorp, a private utility company that supplies power to much of the West...more