Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

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Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to address the long history of water disputes in the Klamath Basin and commend the work of the community in coming together to begin a new, collaborative era of water management in the region.

When I was first elected to the U.S. Senate, one of my first trips across Oregon included a visit to the Klamath Basin to gather information about the history of the water wars in the region and meet with the stakeholders who were working on a solution.

On my way down to the Basin I was extremely skeptical that traditional rivals could reach agreement on a written management plan. Only a few years earlier, the region was embroiled in protests and civil disobedience over sizeable fish kills and limited supplies of water for irrigation. The generational battles over water had deepened divides, often making it hard for parties to be in a room together, let alone work together.

When I arrived in Klamath Falls, therefore, I was deeply surprised to find farmers, ranchers, fishermen, Tribal leaders and conservationists working together on a comprehensive and collaborative plan that would end the ongoing water wars of the region, improve the local economy and create a stronger environment for the future. They told me they were tired of the unproductive battles of the past and of the massive amounts they were spending on lawyers rather than solutions. They thought they had some chance of finding a better path forward. This was impressive. I thought then that if they managed to get the Klamath Restoration Agreements completed and signed by all the parties, I would certainly assist them with the necessary federal legislation.

That legislation is now the Klamath Basin Economic Restoration Act of 2011, which I am introducing today. This bill implements both the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement and moves the region forward. These agreements would provide a more stable supply of irrigation water to farmers and ranchers and would improve in-river water flows for endangered fish and the fishermen who depend on them. The agreements would enhance the national wildlife refuges that are one of the most important migratory bird habitats in the country. In addition, the agreement would, by removing four dams, turn the Klamath into a free-flowing river once again, opening miles of habitat to spawning salmon. The agreement also restores a sector of the Klamath Tribe forest and resolves a challenging fish passage issue for Pacific Power.

This agreement would create a lot of jobs. A recent analysis estimates that the agreement would create 4,000 jobs in construction and agriculture. It also estimates that with the restoration of critical salmon and steelhead habitat the commercial harvest of Chinook salmon would increase by 80 percent.

The KBRA and KHSA agreements are the result of several years of intense negotiation and compromise. They are inherently complicated. No party obtained all they desired and not everyone is satisfied that these agreements contain the best possible outcomes.

But what is absolutely clear is that it is an extraordinary accomplishment for the Klamath stakeholders to set aside their historic differences and work out this plan. They say in the West that, ``Whiskey, that's for drinking. Water, that's for fighting.'' But continuous fighting sometimes reaches the point where little is accomplished. The Klamath stakeholders are painting a different vision, in which the interests of all can be served.

The agreement is full of the bipartisan, solution-oriented spirit that can take the region forward. It is a spirit that we could use a lot more of in Washington, DC, and across the nation. I am proud to partner with the Klamath community on the future of the region.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

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