U.S. House Passes Bentz Legislation Benefitting Klamath Farmers

"Under the legislation, federal agencies would not be allowed to pass on the costs of operating or maintaining Keno and Link River Dams, infrastructure built and formerly operated by PacifiCorp, which are not being removed...The legislation would also provide the authority and tools needed for keeping a promise that upstream migration of salmon and steelhead would not impose new regulatory burdens by providing a mechanism for the Bureau of Reclamation to install and pay for costly measures such as fish screens that would not otherwise be needed.."

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7938, authored by Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR), which fulfills financial and regulatory commitments made years ago to Klamath Project irrigators.

In his floor statement, Mr. Bentz called the legislation “long overdue” and critical to mitigate negative impacts on agricultural communities resulting from the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River that took place this year.

Under the legislation, federal agencies would not be allowed to pass on the costs of operating or maintaining Keno and Link River Dams, infrastructure built and formerly operated by PacifiCorp, which are not being removed.

“This is a very important achievement, and great news for Klamath Project irrigators,” said Klamath Water Users Association (KWUA) President Tracey Liskey, who testified in a Congressional committee in support of the bill earlier.  “We have been promised for years that we would not be stuck with these costs but need this legislation to make that promise real.”

The legislation would also provide the authority and tools needed for keeping a promise that upstream migration of salmon and steelhead would not impose new regulatory burdens by providing a mechanism for the Bureau of Reclamation to install and pay for costly measures such as fish screens that would not otherwise be needed.

A similar measure, authored by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who sits on a key committee in the U.S. Senate, is pending in that chamber of Congress. “Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley have been champions of this legislation for years,” said KWUA Executive Director Paul Simmons. “It passed the full Senate in a previous session of Congress and has moved through all necessary Senate committees again, this year.”

Under the current Congressional calendar, it is unknown whether the legislation can be taken up in the current session of the Senate, as needed for the bill to become law. “We feel very positive that bipartisan leadership and support we have can push this across the finish line,” said Mr. Simmons.

Mr. Liskey noted that it is extremely complicated to move legislation through Congress. “There is much more involved in this process than you could ever believe, and we are fortunate to have the effective Congressional delegation that we do.”

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