Klamath basin alliance takes 600 petitions to Klamath Commissioners 111208

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Klamath Basin Alliance takes community voices rejecting Klamath Settlement Agreement to Klamath County Commissioners

11/12/08, Klamath Basin Alliance (www.basinalliance.com)

KBC NOTE: Feb 2009 there are presently 1850 petitions from the Klamath Basin, Siskiyou County and the Karuk Tribe opposing the KBRA.

Klamath County Commissioner Bill Brown reviews the 640 petitions of Klamath Basin residents opposing the Klamath Basin Restoration agreement.

Today Steve Rapalyea, Vice-chairman of the Klamath Basin Alliance (KBA), submitted nearly 640 petitions objecting to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) to the Klamath County Board of Commissioners.

Mr. Rapalyea asked the Board to consider these petitions as an example that the KBRA did not have the overwhelming public support that those in support of the KBRA would have them believe.

By request of Commissioner Bill Brown, the content of the petitions was read into the public record.

Rex Cozzalio, 4th generation property owner from Hornbrook, spoke supporting the dams

Following is the letter accompanying their petitions.

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November 12, 2008

Letter to Klamath County Board of Commissioners with Over 600 Petitions objecting to Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement

Klamath County Board of Commissioners
305 Main Street, 2^nd Floor
Klamath Falls, OR 97603

Gentlemen:

The Klamath Basin Alliance, Inc. has received over 600 signatures to a petition in opposition to the proposed Klamath River Basin Restoration Agreement.

We are submitting these petitions in the hope you will take under consideration the objections to the proposed KBRA.

These petitions are in addition to more than 1,100 petitions presented by the alliance to officials in the past five years against a federally funded tribal land gift alone, land that the tribes previously sold, and over 1,000 petitions collected by the late Dr. Calvin Hunt.

As you read the list of names, you will discover there is not the broad-based support for the agreement as you have been lead to believe. Instead, the 600 plus petitioners object to the proposal as currently written. In brief, the reasons for their opposition are listed below:

Removal of dams which provide green electrical power to 70,000 households
Providing land to the Tribes that may be placed in a tax-exempt trust
Retirement of 30,000 acre feet of water to upper basin irrigators

With the packet of copies of the petition, we have also included a spreadsheet with the names of those who have signed the petition. Many of the petitioners are not just Klamath County residents, but residents of the region affected by the proposed water agreement.

Thank you for your considerations.

Sincerely,

The Klamath Basin Alliance, Inc.

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Here for > Klamath Settlement Petition