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Klamath dam removal delayed; parties hope for hearings this spring

2/28/12

The parties to the Klamath dams removal agreements are optimistic that plans are still on track despite the lack of action in Congress on essential legislation.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced Monday that he will not make a decision on the removal by March 31, as originally planned.

Craig Tucker -- a spokesman for the Karuk Tribe, one of the parties to the agreement -- said this will not deter the parties or delay the dam removal, which is scheduled for 2020.

Congress has not enacted the legislation necessary to authorize a secretarial determination under the terms of Klamath dam agreements. Salazar was expected to decide whether the removal of four dams -- owned by energy company PacifiCorp -- on the Klamath River would be in the public's interest and advance the restoration of salmon and steelhead fisheries in the Klamath Basin.

”The Department of the Interior, working with our partners at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the U.S. Forest Service, has upheld our commitments in these agreements that are so important to strengthening the health and prosperity of those that depend on the Klamath River for their way of life,” Salazar said in a press release. “I am proud of the work of our team of experts who have completed more than 50 new studies and reports that are providing significant new information on the potential effects of Klamath River dam removal as part of a transparent, science-based process.”

The U.S. Department of the Interior has been completing peer-reviewed scientific and technical studies and an environmental analysis during the past year to inform Salazar for the determination -- a condition of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, or KHSA, and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, or KBRA. The legislation, the Klamath Basin Economic Restoration Act, was introduced in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives in November.

In addition to the determination, the agreement requires California and Oregon to identify a funding source, and the secretary's office must conduct additional studies on the costs, benefits and liabilities associated with dam removal. The final version of the study is expected to be released this spring.

According to a release, the parties to the agreements met on Friday with Salazar's staff and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor in San Francisco to discuss the next steps.

Tucker said the parties agreed that the delay wouldn't violate the agreement.

”We urge Congress to hold hearings as soon as possible so we can educate people and get all the facts on the table and keep moving this forward,” he said.

Tucker added that the need for the agreements is underscored by the looming drought this year.

”If we had implemented these agreements, we would have had a game plan for this year,” he said.

Patrick Higgins -- a fisheries consultant for the Resighini Rancheria, a tribe located in Del Norte County that is not a party to the agreements -- said the delay does not surprise him. A vocal opponent of the agreements, Higgins said he doesn't see the current Congress passing the key legislation, considering the political pressure from some irrigators to stop the act.

”The possibility of passing this in future congresses is equally bleak,” he said.

Higgins said that without the legislation, the KHSA is in trouble, and it would be best to allow the PacifiCorp relicensing process to move forward through the California State Water Resources Control Board. The board delayed a clean water certification process in light of the agreements.

Tucker said the delay does not change the KHSA's terms.

”We tried to build an agreement with some flexibility with some hurdles just like this,” he said.

Under the terms of the KHSA, the secretary agreed to use “best efforts” to make a decision by March 31.

PacifiCorp spokesman Bob Gravely said the company is hopeful that the water board will continue to delay the clean water certification process. The company is expected to go before the board this spring for its yearly review.

”We're disappointed that Congress hasn't acted, but March 31 has also been a target date rather than a fixed deadline,” Gravely said. “So from our point of view, nothing really changes for this. We're still committed to the settlement.”

The company has continued to collect a dam removal surcharge from its customers in Oregon and California to help pay for the project. Nearly $30 million has been collected so far, Gravely said. While the bulk of its customers are in Oregon, PacifiCorp began charging its California customers in January. Most of PacifiCorp's California customers are in Siskiyou County, but it also serves Crescent City and other areas closer to the coast, he said.

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Scientist: 1 to 5 per cent of debris in ocean from Japan tsunamis could reach North America

2/28/12

Tsunamis generated by the magnitude-9 earthquake in Japan last March dragged 3 million to 4 million tons of debris into the ocean after tearing up Japanese harbours and homes.

Scientists believe ocean currents are carrying some of the lumber, refrigerators, fishing boats and other objects across the Pacific toward the United States.

One to 5 per cent of the 1 million to 2 million tons of debris still in the ocean may reach Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and Washington and British Columbia, said University of Hawaii senior researcher and ocean current expert Nikolai Maximenko.

That's only a portion of the 20 million to 25 million tons of debris the tsunamis generated altogether, including what was left on land.

Maximenko plans to discuss Tuesday at a news conference his latest estimates for where the debris is and when it may wash ashore. Last year, his team estimated debris could arrive in Hawaii in early 2013.

Some debris appears to have already arrived in the U.S., like a half-dozen large buoys suspected to be from Japanese oyster farms found in Alaska late last year.

Nicholas Mallos, conservation biologist and marine debris specialist for the Ocean Conservancy, said many of the objects are expected to be from Japan's fishing industry. The conservancy is hosting the news conference.

Fishing gear could harm wildlife, such as endangered Hawaiian monk seals, if it washes up on coral reefs or beaches.

"The major question is how much of that material has sank since last year, and how much of that remains afloat or still in the water column," Mallos said.

It's unclear whether items like refrigerators will make it across because there's little precedent for such things in the ocean.

Golden Rule Restoration Nearly Complete

The mission of the Golden Rule Project of Veterans for Peace (VFP) is to repair, restore and renovate the famous sailing ketch, the Golden Rule. This little ship was sailed by four brave crewmen, led by Albert Bigelow, in an attempt to stop atmospheric nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands. They were boarded by the US Coast Guard, arrested, and the boat towed back to Honolulu, twice. Eventually, the Golden Rule sank in Humboldt Bay.

Veterans For Peace, together with friends of the Golden Rule, will once again sail this vessel in opposition to militarism and the manufacture, testing, and use of nuclear weapons. Over a period of years, we plan for the Golden Rule to take its message of peace far and wide – on all three coasts, as well as the Great Lakes and inland waterways.

This Sunday, March 4, Veterans for Peace will celebrate the completion of the restoration efforts. Listen to Coastal Currents Wed. at noon on JHUM (104.3 and 104.7 FM) for an interview with Baykeeper Skipper Chuck DeWitt, who has been working to restore the Golden Rule.

For more info, visit the Golden Rule Project website.

New Sea Kayaking Guide to the Redwood Coast

New Sea Kayaking Guide Published by Explore the North Coast

California’s Humboldt and Del Norte counties are a sea kayaker’s paradise. From protected flat-water on coastal lagoons, to challenging open ocean and rock gardens along breathtaking shores, sea kayakers can find it all on the redwood coast. Sea Kayaking the Redwood Coast is a full color guide that describes thirty-five routes in nineteen locales, from the mouth of the mighty Eel River to the spectacular coastal areas of Crescent City.

Designed for beginner to expert paddlers, this essential guide provides detailed d Sea Kayaining the Redwood Coast irections to launch areas, descriptions of routes, facilities and potential hazards. Sidebars describe the rich cultural history and the abundant wildlife of the area. Detailed maps show launch locations and facilities, along with prominent landmarks needed to safely explore the region. This guide is a must for all sea kayakers wishing to explore California’s magnificent redwood coast.

For sale at the Humboldt Baykeeper office, 217 E Street, Eureka, and at many local bookstores.

For more info, click HERE.

Obama Administration Takes Important Step toward Protecting America’s Waterways

2/22/12

From the Chesapeake Bay to the Puget Sound to the many smaller waters in between, America’s waterways are today one step closer to protection under the Clean Water Act, as the Obama administration is now in the final stage of issuing guidelines to restore critical Clean Water Act protections to the nation’s waterways.

“This is an important step forward for America’s waters and the people who depend on them and enjoy them,” said Shelley Vinyard, federal clean water advocate for Environment America. “Once these guidelines are final, everyone from the Great Lakes fisherman to the family visiting the shores of the Narragansett Bay will be able to reap the rewards of cleaner water.”

The guidelines come at a time when nearly 60 percent of the country’s streams, 20 million acres of wetlands, and 117 million Americans’ drinking water is at risk of pollution, thanks to two polluter-friendly Supreme Court decisions in the last decade. The guidelines, which were proposed last April, received overwhelming support from ordinary citizens, thousands of public health professionals, and hundreds of farmers, local elected officials, and recreational businesses—from Confluence Kayaks in Colorado to Angus Murdoch, a farmer from central Virginia.

The proposed guidelines are expected to be finalized by early spring, and were sent to the Office of Management and Budget on Feb. 22.

The industries primarily responsible for this pollution—mega-agribusiness, the coal industry, Big Oil and big developers, are fighting to block these guidelines. In fact, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced a bill Feb. 16 that, if passed, would block the president and his administration from ever finalizing these guidelines, and would leave as many as 2.5 million miles of streams nationwide permanently unprotected.

“We are excited that the administration has taken this step toward restoring the Clean Water Act and has reiterated its commitment to protecting America’s waterways from pollution,” Vinyard said. “We are counting on the Obama administration to continue to stand up to big polluters, and look forward to working with them to ensure all Americans have clean water in which to swim, fish, recreate, and drink.”