The new agreement appears to have the support of the Klamath, Karuk and Yurok tribes, whose leaders spoke alongside Interior Minister Sally Jewell and the governors of California and Oregon at Wednesday`s event. Overall, opponents of the Klamath negotiations say that the water agreements have not taken into account all tribal interests and that support has been stained. The Yurok tribe, for example, decided not to sign the previous three-part agreement because it took too long to implement it, and the tribe felt it was not in their interest to stop a good faith water deal. The Hoopa Valley Tribe in California also remained skeptical and said it was too hasty to make a water deal before the dam was removed. “We need a solution to conflicts on the water,” says Tom Schlosser, a lawyer for the tribe. “But we don`t want to establish a water deal until the dams are shut down, because there`s no way of knowing how water needs will change between now and then.” “These agreements will enable the largest dam removal project in the country,” said Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA Administrator. “While we have more work to do, these agreements support efforts to restore fishing, preserve the region`s agricultural and agricultural interests, and benefit the environment and communities that depend on the Klamath River.” Despite the splendor and circumstances of the announcement, the irritants, tribes, conservation groups and politicians who interviewed the High Country News for this story say a slower and more difficult process is taking place behind the scenes. While the annex agreement revives part of the broader pact, opponents say it does not promise any water group, as the original agreement did, and does not address the lingering concerns of tribes and conservation groups in the basin. At the meeting, some supporters of the initial agreements also introduced a new agreement, a subsidiary pact they had assembled. The Klamath Power and Facilities Agreement (KPFA) and KHSA would cover the operating and management costs of the two northernmost dams that will remain if the four lower dams are removed. These two, the Link and Keno dams, will eventually be transferred from The property of PacifiCorp to the Bureau of Reclamation.
Under the new agreement, basin stakeholders also agreed to share the burden of unforeseen costs associated with relocating fishing and restoring waterways, so that pond owners and irrigation facilities do not stick to the bill.