U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) on Friday introduced the Klamath Infrastructure Improvement Act, legislation that would serve Klamath County irrigators needing affordable water rates.
H.R. 4329 would amend the Klamath Basin Water Supply Enhancement Act of 2000 and would bring Klamath Basin hydropower costs in line with those for Bureau of Reclamation projects in other Pacific Northwest areas. It would also facilitate necessary infrastructure improvements, according to Walden’s office.
“We have 1,000 farms in Klamath County. We have 650,000 acres of farmland in the county. Combined crop and livestock sales annually reach approximately $200 million. Agriculture is essential not only to the lifeblood of Klamath County, and frankly to our entire district,” Walden said at a press conference on H.R. 4329 last week in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Walden called the bill “an important piece of legislation that is aimed at providing affordable power for farmers in the Klamath Basin.”
Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) joined Walden in introducing the bill. Walden said, “We’re working on this together, which is important.”
The legislation would also enable improvement of the C-Flume, which crosses over a highway and is considered by the federal government to be near catastrophic failure, according to Walden’s office. The bill would use existing federal authorities to designate this critical infrastructure safety improvement as an emergency measure, helping to speed up necessary replacement work, Walden’s office said.
Since the 2006 expiration of two affordable power agreements between private hydropower producers and the Bureau of Reclamation, many in the Klamath Basin have seen electricity rate increases of up to 2,000 percent. Under Walden’s legislation the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) would study specific steps to address this rate increase and lower costs. DOI would be required to carry out a plan to lower rates within six months of the study’s completion.
In addition, the bill supports cost-effective wildlife refuge and fishery management.
Chrysten Lambert, director of the Trout Unlimited Oregon Water Project, said during the press conference, “I simply don’t believe that we need to choose between healthy fisheries, and healthy economies. Instead we can really work toward a shared vision of the future, and that’s why I personally support this bill.”