This just in from our friend Brandon Criss, Chairman of the Siskiyou County Republican Party…

Common Sense From Us in the North State

How can the State of California save $250 million, provide clean green hydropower energy for 70,000 homes, prevent the raising of electricity rates on Californians, provide $1.6 million annually in direct revenue to a rural county government for vital government services along with a broader tax-base for that county and also provide incomes, livelihoods and recreation opportunities to its residents?

The answer is easier than you may think.  All the State of California has to do is NOT demolish or breech hydropower dams on the Klamath River in far northern California.

In AB 752, “The Safe Drinking Water and Water Supply Reliability Act of 2010” Section 79766 allocates $250 million of the Act  to demolish Hydropower Dams on the Klamath River.  These dams generate 169 megawatts of emission free energy for 70,000 homes; provide flood protection, and a stable water supply for migrating fish, agricultural and community needs.

The arguments given to tearing out these dams are that it will allow fish to migrate further up the Klamath River and increase the salmon population.  The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors have proposed many alternatives.  These alternatives should be considered and reviewed for they may be cheaper and more effective in increasing salmon numbers.

Siskiyou County Counsel stated some of the following in a letter to Assembly Member Caballero: “My clients are concerned that this effort, including the California funding sought in your bill, will not adequately address the impacts to the County of Siskiyou.  My clients will be disappointed that no effort has been made by your office to contact or consult with them with respect to legislation having such a significant impact in the County of Siskiyou.”

The Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee does not officially have a stance on AB 752.  But we whole heartedly oppose Section 79766 which reads:

“Not more than two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) of the funds provided pursuant to Section 79760 shall be allocated for dam removal and related measures in the Klamath River watershed if the Secretary of Natural Resources finds that the following conditions have been met: (a) The State of California, State of Oregon, United States, and PacifiCorp have executed a dam removal agreement. (b) The United States and the States of California and Oregon have made the determinations required under the agreement to effect dam removal. (c) Ratepayer funds required by the agreement have been authorized and will be timely provided. (d) All other conditions required in the agreement have been met.”

Below is a partial list of Groups and individuals who oppose demolition of the Klamath River Hydropower Dams.  They only oppose the demolishing of the Klamath River Dams, but their stances do not necessarily reflect upon AB 752 as a whole.  The below list is to just show that there is opposition to demolishing the Klamath River Dams:
The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors by a bipartisan unanimous vote
California Federated Republican Women North Division composed of 62 clubs in 37 Counties by a unanimous vote at its Spring 2009 Conference.

• Assemblyman 2nd district Jim Nielsen
• Assemblyman 3rd district Dan Logue
• Former State Assemblyman 2nd district Doug LaMalfa
• Former State Assemblyman  3rd district Rick Keene
• CRP Vice-Chair Tom Del Beccaro
• Tom Hudson, Placer Republican Chairman, Vice-Chair CRP Northern Region
• Butte County Chairman Steve Thompson
• Tehama County Republican Chairman Ken Say.
• Sierra County Republican Chairman Thomas Dotta.
• Nevada County Republican Chairman Bill Neuharth.
• Siskiyou County Republican Chairman Brandon Criss
• The Siskiyou County California Republican Assembly Chapter unanimously
• Grange Organizations in Siskiyou, Modoc, Del Norte, Butte, Trinity, Tehama, Shasta, King, Kern, Eldorada, Mendocino, Monterey, Placer, Yolo, Yuba, Lake, and San Joaquin, Counties,
• And of course the Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee by a Unanimous Vote, which also directed its Chairman to submit an article on the subject to the FlashReport.

You can add my name to the list.  What a terrible idea — to demolish dams when we need to build new ones.  In my opinion, at some point, someone needs to explain that it is not realistic to expect the existence (and growth) of humankind on Planet Earth to not adversely impact other species of life.  I’ve been called an Anthropocentrist (human-centered) as an insult by a radical at Berkeley — but that’s fairly accurate.  I am willing to say that the life of a human being outweighs the life of a fish (there goes my PETA membership) – Flash

This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.