Parched farms in the Klamath Basin straddling the Oregon-California state line got plenty of sympathy -- but few specific solutions -- from two top federal officials who toured the region Thursday.
U.S. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman promised to seek a resolution to the decades-long water conflicts in the basin after meeting with growers, local water officials and other affected parties. “The truth of the matter is this whole day has been devoted to learning more about the issues here,” Bernhardt told a gaggle of reporters on a farm south of Klamath Falls, Ore. “I think we’re walking away with some ideas for how we might do things differently.
“I think what’s important for people to know is we have a president who truly believes we have to fix problems and not just let them go forward,” Bernhardt said. “He believes in rural America and has so much faith in what you do.” The visit was requested by Reps. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., whose districts include parts of the basin. Walden recently traveled aboard Air Force One with Bernhardt and President Donald Trump and gave the president a letter asking him to convene a task force to collaborate and find solutions for basin farmers.
Walden said the federal government needs to use “modern science” and “a new approach” in the basin.
“It’s time for a reset,” he said. “The policies in place haven’t worked for suckers, they haven’t worked for salmon and they certainly haven’t worked for farmers.”...
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