KRRC Board Approves FY 18–19 Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2018

CONTACT: Molly Croll
(530) 840-7373
molly@klamathrenewal.org

The Board of Directors of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) approved a budget of $27,475,000 for the organization’s fiscal year that began on July 1, 2018.

In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, KRRC will continue focus on obtaining key regulatory approvals; technical preparations necessary for dam decommissioning, including the procurement of a dam removal contractor; consultations with tribes; and coordination with local governments and other stakeholders in the Klamath region.

  • KRRC will provide any necessary additional information and technical filings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), California State Water Resources Control Board, and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality to support license application reviews, including providing information to FERC’s approved Independent Board of Consultants (BOC) and incorporating any feedback from the BOC into the decommissioning plan, as necessary. KRRC will also review and comment on draft permits from agencies regarding environmental impacts.
  • Along with its legal team, KRRC will initiate the procurement process for the dam removal design-build contractor, as well as the procurement and initiation of work regarding the City of Yreka water supply improvements, vegetation test plots, native seed collection, native seed propagation, invasive exotic vegetation eradication, and groundwater monitoring.
  • KRRC will continue conversations and meetings with stakeholders and local governments to address concerns, develop solutions, and promote local economic development in the region.

KRRC receives funding from the State of Oregon Public Utilities Commission, State of California Public Utilities Commission, and State of California Natural Resource Agency. These funds are provided exclusively for activities necessary to achieve the goals of the 2016 Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. The Board approved the fiscal year 2018-2019 budget during their meeting on May 15, 2018.

The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 2016 as part of the amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA). KRRC is part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River so that it can support all communities in the basin. Signatories of the amended KHSA incude the states of California and Oregon, local governments, tribal nations, dam owner PacifiCorp, irrigators, and several conservation and fishing groups. KRRC was formed for the sole purpose of taking ownership of four PacifiCorps dams — J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1 & 2, and Iron Gate – and then removing these dams, restoring formerly inundated lands, and implementing required mitigation measures in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulations. KRRC’s work is funded by PacifiCorp customer surcharges and California Proposition 1 water bond funds.

KRRC values transparency and cooperation with all stakeholders and is committed to working with residents and governments to minimize any nuisance or negative impacts while enhancing the project’s local benefits.