By SONIA WARAICH
Members of local tribes, fishermen and conservationists are calling on Warren Buffett to undam the Klamath.
People across the country joined members of the Karuk, Yurok, Klamath and Hoopa Valley tribes on Friday for a day of action to get the attention of Buffett, the owner of Pacific Power and the Klamath River dams, through a social media campaign; hanging an “Undam the Klamath” banner on the gate of his home in Omaha, Nebraska; and holding demonstrations in cities like San Diego, Portland and Sacramento. During a virtual webinar Friday afternoon, members of the Yurok Tribe described how damming the Klamath has negatively impacted water quality, salmon runs and the ability for tribal members to continue their ceremonies.
“We exist because of that river,” said Annelia Hillman, of the Yurok Tribe and Klamath Justice Coalition, during a virtual webinar Friday. “That’s the reason we’re here. It’s our sole purpose here is to take care of that river and to keep that balance here in this world.”
Hillman and Georgiana Gensaw, of the Yurok Tribe, described how tribes that live along the river depend on it for their food and ceremonies, which they currently can’t do because of the conditions damming the Klamath has created. The times in which Klamath River people are supposed to swim in the river coincide with the times it is the most toxic, Gensaw said.
“In the beginning of time, that wasn’t part of the equation,” Gensaw said. “There wasn’t a way around that. You have to get in the water. There are certain points where you have to do that. And so now you take a health risk for doing something that we’re born to do, something that we’re made to do, and that’s really scary.”
Removing the dams isn’t just important for Indigenous people, Hillman and Gensaw said, it’s also an important step in combating the climate crisis that is impacting everyone.
“Now is the time,” Hillman said. “We can’t wait any longer. The whole world is falling apart. It’s a domino effect.”
Dam removal for four dams on the lower Klamath was set to begin by 2022, but a July 16 decision from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to partially transfer the dams to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, a dam removal entity, while requiring PacifiCorp remain a co-licensee. PacifiCorp indicated it might not remove the dams because of concerns over ongoing liability as a co-licensee when the dams are removed, according to a press release from Save California Salmon.
“PacifiCorp committed to taking down the Klamath River dams by 2020. They collected the money to remove the dams and received state permits for dam removal, but now claim the deal is not good enough,” Regina Chichizola, of Save California Salmon, said in a statement. “Buffett is the fourth richest man in the world. One of Berkshire Hathaway’s top shareholders is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates is the second richest man in the world. The nonprofit charged with removing the dams has already developed the most comprehensive liability protection packages for any dam removal project in history. We will not allow them to act like upstanding members of their own communities, while they destroy ours. We encourage everyone to plan actions online, and off, and to post videos, photos and their messages using the hashtag #UnDamtheKlamath.”
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Related to SDG 7: Clean and affordable energy, SDG 14: Life below water and SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
