Federal and state agencies are seeking public input on an upcoming decision on whether to remove four Klamath River dams (Iron Gate, Copco 1, Copco 2 and J.C. Boyle) to help restore the Klamath River salmonid fishery.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) are opening a comment period to solicit input on issues and impacts to be addressed in an Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR), in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The EIS/EIR is being prepared for a Secretarial Determination on whether to remove all or part of the four Klamath River hydroelectric dams, in accordance with the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement(KHSA). In light of this determination by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the KHSA, the public andagencies are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS/EIR. The DOI and DFG are soliciting commentsconcerning the issues, alternatives, mitigation measures, and significant effects to be considered in the EIS/EIR.

The Secretarial Determination as it is set forth in the KHSA would include the potential removal of all or part of each of the four dams to achieve, at a minimum, a free-flowing condition and volitional fish passage, site remediation and restoration, including previously inundated lands, measures to avoid or minimize adverse downstream impacts, and all associated permitting, including permits from the states of California and Oregon, as applicable. If the Secretary makes an affirmative decision to remove the dams, the Governors of both California and Oregon will provide notice to the Secretary and other parties within 60 days whether each state concurs with the affirmative determination.

In addition to the robust environmental analysis as part of the EIS/EIR, the Secretary is also conducting a comprehensive scientific evaluation so he can be fully informed prior to making a determination on the question of dam removal. This scientific evaluation will be published as the “Secretarial Determination Overview Report,” and will inform the analysis of the EIS/EIR. Information about today’s announcement and future updates about both the scientific evaluation process and the environmental analysis process is available at KlamathRestoration.gov.

The comment period for the EIS opens on June 14, while the comment period for DFG’s EIR opens on June 21, 2010. In order for comments to be reflected in the official scoping report, they need to be submitted by July 21, 2010.

Please send written comments to Ms. Tanya Sommer, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-152, Sacramento, CA 95825, or by fax at (916) 978-5055, or by e-mail at: klamathsd@usbr.gov. Comments can also be sent to Ms. Caitlin Bean, California Department of Fish and Game, 601 Locust Street, Redding CA, 96001, or by fax at (530)225-2343, or by email at: KSDcomments@dfg.ca.gov. Written comments may also be submitted during the public scoping meetings.

The public is invited to attend the scoping meetings/workshops that will be held in or near the Klamath Basin.

The following schedule provides details on these meetings. 

DOI and DFG Scoping Meetings Schedule