For the second time this year, a representative from the Klamath Project has testified before Congress in Washington, D.C.
This week, Klamath Water Users Association president and fourth-generation farmer Tracey Liskey testified before the Committee of Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.
Liskey testified on behalf of H.R. 7938, The Klamath Basin Water Agreement Support Act of 2024, introduced by U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Oregon) on April 11, 2024. As chairman of the subcommittee in the House of Representatives having jurisdiction over the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Rep. Bentz conducted the hearing on the Klamath legislation and three other pending bills on Wednesday, May 22.
“This legislation will provide important tools and protections for farms and fish that are imminently needed, especially in light of the ongoing non-federal dam removal activities on the Klamath River,” Liskey said. “The bill will also provide tools for agencies and irrigators to address ongoing challenges in the difficult circumstances of the Klamath River Basin.”
KWUA executive director Paul Simmons said that the bill is similar to the Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement Support Act, which was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) in February 2023.
“It’s encouraging to have bipartisan, bicameral support for these kinds of protections,” Simmons said.
Simmons also noted that Sen. Wyden chairs the Senate subcommittee that oversees the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That subcommittee held a hearing on its bill in July 2023.
Both bills include measures to protect irrigation water users from the negative consequences of removing hydropower dams on the Klamath River. The legislation would shield Klamath Project irrigators from any responsibility for payment for the costs of operating, maintaining, or improving the Link River Dam or Keno Dam.
PacifiCorp historically paid the costs associated with these facilities, but Reclamation is in the process of taking them over.
The bills also authorized federally funded construction of fish screens or similar devices needed for introducing salmon above the Keno dam, which have not historically been necessary in the Klamath Basin. The bills would also address specific past and future costs for infrastructure that should be borne by the federal government rather than irrigators.
In his testimony, Liskey emphasized that over several years, KWUA and others received assurances from state and federal agencies, tribes, and conservation groups that dam removal would not negatively impact farmers and ranchers, and those promises need to be kept.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner David Palumbo, who testified on behalf of Reclamation, also acknowledged the need to honor those commitments.
“This week’s hearing was a necessary step to move forward. Much work remains, but we are on the playing field,” Simmons said.