Herald and News 11/20/12
The two Klamath County commissioners headed out of office at the end of the year carried the vote to support a two-year extension of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.
After hearing an hour of public testimony during their regular meeting today, commissioners Al Switzer and Cheryl Hukill voted for an amendment to the agreement. Commission Chair Dennis Linthicum voted against it.
The KBRA, which aims to remove four dams on the Klamath River, establish reliable water supplies and affordable power rates for irrigators, restore fish habitat and help the Klamath Tribes acquire a 92,000-acre parcel called the Mazama Tree Farm, is set to expire on Dec. 31. Stakeholders are working to extend its to Dec. 31, 2014.
Hukill and Switzer said they supported the KBRA because despite the naysayers, they saw no other alternatives.
The two elected to take Switzer's and Hukill's spots, Tom Mallams and Jim Bellet, both said they were against the extension of the KBRA. Mallams voiced his opinion in a letter and Bellet spoke at the meeting. After the meeting Bellet said the issue will be raised again when he takes office in January.
Linthicum tried to delay the decision until those new commissioners take office after the new year. He made a formal motion to table it, but faced silent stares from Hukill and Switzer. Without support, Linthicum's motion died.