LaMalfa: Klamath Dam Removal Plan is a Man-Made Disaster
(Washington, D.C.) Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after submitting comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) related to its plan to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed removal of four hydroelectric dams located along the Klamath River. Three of these facilities, Iron Gate, Copco 1, and Copco 2, are located in Siskiyou County within California's 1st Congressional District. The fourth dam, J.C. Boyle, is located just across the border in Klamath County, Oregon.
"The license to operate these four hydropower dams has been ongoing for more than fifteen years. Every year, the reasons to consider dam removal have dwindled, while the negative impacts to Siskiyou County have skyrocketed," LaMalfa said. "Clear evidence rebukes the idea that salmon would have naturally traveled above the current site of Copco 1. But, undeterred by facts, zealous environmentalists continue their dogmatic pursuit of dam removal even if it sends millions of cubic yards of toxic sediment and silt downstream, forces school closures, wrecks the habitat of other threatened and endangered species, reduces our ability to manage water in the Klamath watershed, and eliminates a key source of water for wildfire air attack craft, with any liability placed firmly on the backs of California and Oregon taxpayers. The dam removal plan will create a man-made natural disaster that will cost billions to clean up."
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California's First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
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