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Statement by the President on Conservation of Klamath River Basin
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary November 13, 2008

Statement by the President on Conservation of Klamath River Basin

ÿÿWhite House News

ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Environment

I congratulate the many people of the Klamath River Basin in Oregon and
California who recently put forward a shared vision for conservation of the
river. The agreement my Administration announced today with Oregon,
California, and PacifiCorp, the company that owns four hydropower dams on
the Klamath River, will advance that vision. Federal, State, and private
partners will now begin studying the feasibility of removing four
hydropower dams on the river. This is the first phase of a long-term
conservation program for upriver salmon habitats.

This agreement turns what was a conflict into a conservation success. For
years, there had been disagreement among irrigators, States, tribes,
conservationists, and others. Beginning with the drought of 2001, the
community, working in partnership with the Federal government, rallied
together to find a long-term solution. Since 2002, my Administration has
requested and Congress has provided approximately $90 million annually - a
total of more than $500 million - for Klamath Basin activities. Working
together, the Federal government and its partners have restored irrigation
and more than 10,000 acres of fish habitat and banked for conservation more
than 800,000 acre-feet of water. These actions have provided adequate water
for farmers while also helping species recover.

Together, we have produced an agreement that will greatly reduce the risk
of future shutdowns of the irrigation system. I applaud this example of
Cooperative Conservation and thank everyone who worked to bring it about.

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