Scottish Power Commits to Tribes During Scotland Trip

Scottish Power Makes Commitment to Klamath River Tribes During Scotland Trip

By Dan Bacher

During a meeting with leaders of four Klamath River tribes on July 22, Ian Russell, Chief Executive of Scottish Power, said that he is “committed to finding the right solutions” to the problems caused by the operation of a series of six dams that the corporation’s subsidiary, PacifiCorp, operates on the river.

“For this to be solved, we need high quality, well structured dialogue and we are committed to this,” said Russell.

Russell also stated that “the Tribes and Scottish Power have similar values” and spoke of having a deep respect for the sovereignty and history of the tribes.

The meeting with Russell and Judi Johansen, the CEO and president of PacifiCorp, took place during the historic trip to Scotland by tribal leaders, including six representatives from the Yurok Tribe, five from the Klamath Tribe, eight from the Karuk Tribe and three from the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Two representatives of Friends of the River and one representative of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association also participated in the delegation.

PacifiCorp’s dams block over 350 miles of historic spawning ground, degrade water quality and play a major part in the steady decline of what was once the third greatest salmon-producing river in the continental United States.

PacifiCorp officials solicited input from the tribes and stakeholders over the past four years as their license application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was drafted. However, the final 80 lb. document didn’t include salmon restoration strategies or an evaluation of dam removal, two fundamental issues raised by the tribes, environmentalists and fishermen.

The trip also took the group to the annual shareholders meeting of Scottish Power, where the group was wildly successful in putting the issue of Klamath River dams in front of the shareholders. During the meeting, tribal leaders asked the shareholders to “search their hearts” and pressure the energy giant to remove dams to allow the salmon to reach their spawning grounds in the Klamath watershed.

The delegation attracted wide media attention in Scotland, the United Kingdom and Europe – as well as getting coverage in newspapers as far as away as Taipei, Taiwan. Not only did the group get a lot of attention from the media, but they also got a great reception from the Scottish people.

As shareholders arrived, the delegates waved signs saying, “Respect our fish, respect our people,” “First the buffalo, now the salmon” and “Red power meets Scottish power.” They danced and beat drums as they sang traditional songs. Motorists driving by honked in support.

According to an article in the Glasgow Herald on July 24,“It was a simple message from a proud people. About 30 members of four native American tribes yesterday urged shareholders of a multinational energy giant to preserve their ancient culture.”

“Did we get a firm commitment from the corporation? No,” said Leaf Hillman, vice-chairman of the Karuk Tribe and chairman of the Klamath River Inter Tribal Fish and Water Commission. “Russell committed to maintaining an open line of communication and working toward a solution. That is not much different from what he have been hearing from PacifiCorp in the U.S during the FERC Renegotiation process.”

However, Hillman said that he is extremely optimistic about the results of the trip. “This is the first real shot across the bow of Scottish Power,” he stated. “Before going to Scotland, I believe that we weren’t a blimp on Scottish Power’s screen. The chairmen of our tribes would probably not get past the secretary in Scottish Power’s offices. That has changed.”

Hillman said that the support they received from the Scottish people was not unexpected, but the way they were treated by the shareholders was unexpected.

“During the shareholders meeting in the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, the shareholders demanded that Scottish Power listen to us,” said Hillman. “They treated us with the utmost respect and dignity.”

Merv George, director of the Klamath River Inter Tribal Fish and Water Commission and a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, was also greatly encouraged by the support the delegation received from the shareholders and the Scottish people.

“We brought up the noise level about the atrocities perpetuated on the Klamath not only to Scottish Power, but to the entire United Kingdom,” said George. “During the shareholders meeting, the people completely embraced us. People were honking in support of us as they drove by and they took our handouts. It was amazing to see the level of support that we received. We pretty much hijacked the entire weekend with our issue. The Klamath River is definitely on Scottish Power’s radar screens now!”

The tribes and supporters emphasized how that while they received none of the power or benefits from the operation of the dams, the dams have had a very negative impact on the river’s salmon, steelhead and other fish populations.

He added, “The bottom line is that we want to see the dams out of the river. In the Klamath Basin, it’s to everybody’s benefit – fishermen, loggers, tribes and the local economy – to get the resource restored.”

Craig Tucker, outreach director of Friends of the River, said that although they didn’t get a binding commitment, they had a “significant impact” upon Scottish Power. “Before we went to Scotland, the upper management of Scottish Power had never even heard of the Klamath,” said Tucker.

During the trip, Tucker said members of the delegation:

• Visited fish ladder facilities on Scotland’s largest river, where up to 11,000 Atlantic salmon ascend every year.

• Traveled to Brussels, Belgium to meet with representatives of the European Union regarding the need to pressure Scottish Power to remove the Klamath dams.

• Had a Member of Parliament, Robin Harper, introduce a resolution into the Scottish Parliament calling on Scottish Power to “lead the way in taking active measures to reverse the decline in salmon numbers in what once was America’s third greatest salmon river.”

“The Klamath River issue goes beyond being an environmental issue,” concluded Tucker. “With our trip to Scotland, the Klamath has now become an international human rights issue. Not only are the tribes denied a resource needed to sustain them in the modern economy, but they are denied the salmon that are a fundamental part of their religion.”

As the tribes and supporters plan out their next step in their battle to restore the Klamath River, Tucker encouraged people to urge Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger to take a leadership role in the fight to “bring the salmon home.” The tribes are looking to FERC to use its authority to protect tribal trust resources, but the CA Water Resources Control Board, under the Governor’s direction, can make demands on the license to protect fisheries.

The target date for final license approval is March, 2006. For more information, contact: http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/ or http://www.klamathbasin.info/facts.htm.

To file comments with FERC and for more information, also contact http://www.klamathwaterquality.com.