The KBRA and the Klamath Hydroelectric
Settlement Agreement seek to establish
reliable water supplies and affordable power
rates for irrigators, restore fish habitat,
help the Klamath Tribes acquire the
92,000-acre Mazama Tree Farm and remove four
dams on the Klamath River.
In November,
former Commissioners Al Switzer and Cheryl
Hukill voted to support the KBRA and its
amendments, extending the agreement to the
end of 2014. Commissioner Dennis Linthicum,
the sole member remaining on the board,
voted against it.
New
commissioners Tom Mallams and Jim Bellet
voiced their opposition to the KBRA during
their campaigns. They said previously they
wanted to hear from the people on the
subject again before the new board makes a
formal decision on the issue.
Anti-KBRA
speakers called the commissioners out on
their stance against the KBRA during the
campaign.
“In my opinion
you, the Klamath County commissioners, were
elected in part because of your stance
against the KBRA, and the previous
commissioners were voted out in part because
of their pro-KBRA views,” said Hank Cheyne,
a project irrigator in Langell Valley. He
said he is against the KBRA because of its
requirement for dam removal and what he
called “empty promises” by some signing
parties.
KBRA opponents
listed many of their grievances. Among them
were the agreements that happened in a
closed-door process that give no guarantees
for water or power rates.
“When I do an
Adobe word search on the document on my
desktop the word ‘guarantee’ only appears
one time, and that is in the negative where
it states there is ‘no guarantee’ of
affordable power for the irrigators,” said
Brent Cheyne, another project irrigator.
“Without such a guarantee, I will not
support (it). We have to have an affordable
power rate. I will be the first to admit
that yes, we need an agreement. We do need
to move forward on an agreement, but the
KBRA is on life support and you need to pull
the plug.”
“Having lived
my whole life in the Klamath Basin, it is
unbelievable to me how the KBRA has divided
the community,” said Hank Cheyne. “There is
a need for a settlement agreement that is
acceptable to all involved parties in
Klamath County, but it is not the KBRA.”
Those
supporting the KBRA urged the commissioners
to stay “at the table” and continue to
participate in the agreement.
“If you’re not
at the table you will certainly be placed
upon the menu,” said Steve Kandra, a
Merrill-area farmer.
KBRA supporters
emphasized the agreement was the only option
and called it a way for people to come
together. They said it does deliver water
and affordable power, while helping meet
tribal needs.
“Through the
KBRA, we as irrigators have to stay engaged
to protect ourselves,” said Gary Wright,
president of the Klamath Water Users
Association. “So I ask you, commissioners,
to stay engaged. Whether you like it or not
KBRA is and could be a way to keep the water
flowing to the county and its economic
values.”
