11-18-2006, 03:10 AM
[black][size 4]Removing Klamath Dams[/size][/black]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The Klamath was once the third most productive salmon producing river in the United States. Today, because of ill-conceived dams and a legacy of mismanagement, the Klamath is a shadow of its former self. Before the dams, a million salmon returned to spawn each year. This year, for the third year in a row, fewer than 30,000 fish returned. That forced fisheries managers to dramatically curtail the salmon fishing season, putting fishermen up and down the California and Oregon coasts out of work.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]FERC is asking for public input until November 24th. Please send FERC Secretary Magalie Salas an email or letter and let her know that the best solution is the simplest -- tearing down the dams. [/size][/green][/font]
[green][font "Poor Richard"][size 3]Magalie R. Salas [url "mailto:magalie.salas@ferc.gov"][black]magalie[/black][/size][/font][font "Poor Richard"][black][size 3].salas@ferc.gov[/size][/black][/font][/url]
[font "Poor Richard"][size 3]Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426 [/size][/font][/green]
[green][font "Poor Richard"][size 3]
[/size][/font][/green][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The following is an e-mail that I just sent to Madam Salas.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Feel free to copy same in it's entirety.[/size][/green][/font]
[#800000]Secretary Magalie Salas
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20426
Dear Secretary Salas,
The Klamath River is a special place that deserves protection.
The Klamath was once the third most productive salmon fishery in
the United States. However, after 80 years of abuse by
PacifiCorp and its predecessors, the Klamath is in dire need of
restoration. One key to restoring the Klamath is the removal of
the lower four dams that block more than 300 miles of historic
salmon spawning habitat.
FERC's draft environmental impact statement overlooked several
key issues that should be evaluated and incorporated into a
final environmental impact statement to ensure a robust and
complete analysis of the environmental impacts to the Klamath
River.
First, FERC should follow the recommendations of tribes,
conservation groups and NOAA Fisheries to remove the four dams.
FERC only evaluated removing two dams in its draft environmental
impact statement. The lower four dams are where most of the
problem exists. All the agencies, tribes, and other stakeholders
agree that removing the lower four dams will improve water
quality and open up a vast amount of habitat for salmon,
steelhead, and other species.
Second, FERC's recommendation of driving fish around the dams
and introducing a small, experimental population of salmon to
one stretch of river is completely inadequate and ignores the
requirements of federal fish agencies which call for full
volitional fish passage.
Finally, FERC should consider and incorporate into the final
environmental impact statement the sediment study from the
California Coastal Conservancy and the ruling of the
administrative law judge in the Energy Policy Act hearings. The
Conservancy's study concludes dam removal could be done safely
and affordably without leading to floods or exposing the river
to toxins. And the judge's ruling concludes that "project
operations have and continue to adversely affect" river health,
including the resident trout fishery and riparian habitat. He
also found that the measures required by the agencies would
benefit threatened coho salmon and other anadromous fish,
resident trout, Pacific lamprey and riparian habitat.
Thank you for considering these comments. I hope that FERC will
make appropriate changes to its final environmental impact
statement and do its part to protect and restore the Klamath
River.
Sincerely,
[/#800000]
[signature]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The Klamath was once the third most productive salmon producing river in the United States. Today, because of ill-conceived dams and a legacy of mismanagement, the Klamath is a shadow of its former self. Before the dams, a million salmon returned to spawn each year. This year, for the third year in a row, fewer than 30,000 fish returned. That forced fisheries managers to dramatically curtail the salmon fishing season, putting fishermen up and down the California and Oregon coasts out of work.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]FERC is asking for public input until November 24th. Please send FERC Secretary Magalie Salas an email or letter and let her know that the best solution is the simplest -- tearing down the dams. [/size][/green][/font]
[green][font "Poor Richard"][size 3]Magalie R. Salas [url "mailto:magalie.salas@ferc.gov"][black]magalie[/black][/size][/font][font "Poor Richard"][black][size 3].salas@ferc.gov[/size][/black][/font][/url]
[font "Poor Richard"][size 3]Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20426 [/size][/font][/green]
[green][font "Poor Richard"][size 3]
[/size][/font][/green][font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The following is an e-mail that I just sent to Madam Salas.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Feel free to copy same in it's entirety.[/size][/green][/font]
[#800000]Secretary Magalie Salas
888 First Street, N.E.
Washington, DC 20426
Dear Secretary Salas,
The Klamath River is a special place that deserves protection.
The Klamath was once the third most productive salmon fishery in
the United States. However, after 80 years of abuse by
PacifiCorp and its predecessors, the Klamath is in dire need of
restoration. One key to restoring the Klamath is the removal of
the lower four dams that block more than 300 miles of historic
salmon spawning habitat.
FERC's draft environmental impact statement overlooked several
key issues that should be evaluated and incorporated into a
final environmental impact statement to ensure a robust and
complete analysis of the environmental impacts to the Klamath
River.
First, FERC should follow the recommendations of tribes,
conservation groups and NOAA Fisheries to remove the four dams.
FERC only evaluated removing two dams in its draft environmental
impact statement. The lower four dams are where most of the
problem exists. All the agencies, tribes, and other stakeholders
agree that removing the lower four dams will improve water
quality and open up a vast amount of habitat for salmon,
steelhead, and other species.
Second, FERC's recommendation of driving fish around the dams
and introducing a small, experimental population of salmon to
one stretch of river is completely inadequate and ignores the
requirements of federal fish agencies which call for full
volitional fish passage.
Finally, FERC should consider and incorporate into the final
environmental impact statement the sediment study from the
California Coastal Conservancy and the ruling of the
administrative law judge in the Energy Policy Act hearings. The
Conservancy's study concludes dam removal could be done safely
and affordably without leading to floods or exposing the river
to toxins. And the judge's ruling concludes that "project
operations have and continue to adversely affect" river health,
including the resident trout fishery and riparian habitat. He
also found that the measures required by the agencies would
benefit threatened coho salmon and other anadromous fish,
resident trout, Pacific lamprey and riparian habitat.
Thank you for considering these comments. I hope that FERC will
make appropriate changes to its final environmental impact
statement and do its part to protect and restore the Klamath
River.
Sincerely,
[/#800000]
[signature]
