Dam removal public comment period extended

Supervisors called for an alternative process on issue

The public now has more time to weigh in on a lengthy report concerning Klamath River dam removal and basin restoration.

The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report regarding Klamath River dam removal was extended to Dec. 30.

Dennis Lynch, program manager for the secretarial determination on Klamath River dam removal, announced the extension Friday.

“The Department of the Interior and the California Department of Fish and Game listened to the numerous requests to extend the comment period on this lengthy Draft EIS/EIR and determined that it is in the best interest of the public to give additional time to review and comment,” Lynch said  in a press release.

The report is a necessary step before the secretary of the interior decides on the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), which would remove four dams on the river if initiated.

The KHSA is linked to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), which has raised concerns for the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors and Resighini Rancheria.

Last week, the supervisors sent a letter expressing their “disappointment” in the KBRA to U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, who represents Del Norte, and Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, co-authors of federal legislation necessary to fund the agreements.

“(The Board) is concerned that the County’s exclusion and resulting lack of participation, as well as inadequate scientific data the KBRA is based on, will result in significant impacts to Del Norte County,” the letter stated.

The supervisors said they support dam removal but prefer an alternative process than the KHSA and KBRA.

The Yurok Tribe has signed both agreements and supported their initiation from the beginning.

“(The Draft EIS/EIR) shows what we’ve known all along, that taking the dams out will improve fish population,” said Troy Fletcher, acting executive director of the tribe.

The KBRA and KHSA “will begin to address some of these ongoing issues that our fish population will face,” Fletcher said.  He acknowledged that the agreements are not a “silver bullet” that will solve all fish and water problems, but added “just because it needs to go further, doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing.”

The complete Draft EIS/EIR can be read and commented on at klamathrestoration.gov.