Klamath river California. (Photo: Public Domain)
Who is Behind the Removal of the Four Klamath Dams?
‘The nonprofit American Rivers is a board member of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation’
By Katy Grimes, March 13, 2024 12:27 pm
In November 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the removal of four dams on the Lower Klamath River. The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) is already removing the dams, as the Globe has reported here, and here, and here, and here.
The Klamath River flows 257 miles through Oregon and northern California, and empties into the Pacific Ocean.
Non-profit organization, American Rivers is in the dam removal business – at least it appears that it is. AmericanRivers.org is proud enough of their influence, that in their 2023 report, they bring the receipts – which are damning. They proudly proclaim, “We are excited to announce that Oregon and California’s Klamath River is the 2024 River of the Year, celebrating the biggest dam removal and river restoration in history.”
As William Simpson of Siskiyou County recently reported in Siskiyou News, “The nonprofit American Rivers, who unknown to most people, is a board member of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) and the orchestrator of the Klamath dams removal project, indirectly gave themselves an award for ‘River of the Year’.”
Here are their own dam removal statistics from their 2023 report:
2023 Dam Removal Summary Statistics
• Number of dams removed in 2023: 80 removals
• Number of upstream river miles reconnected in 2023: More than 1,160 miles
• Top states for dam removals in 2023:
o Pennsylvania (15 removals)
o Oregon (9 removals)
o Massachusetts (6 removals)
• 25 states removed dams in 2023: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
Historical Dam Removal Summary Statistics
• Total number of dam removals from 1912-2023: 2,119 removals
• Years with the highest numbers of dam removals:
o 2018 (109 removals)
o 2019 (106 removals)
o 2017 (101 removals)
The following are highlights of 2023 dam removals (see Table 1 for the full list).
1. Copco No. 2 Dam, Klamath River, California
2. Milltown Power Station Dam, St. Croix River, Maine
3. Oakland Dam, Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
Note: This list includes all dam removals reported to American Rivers (as of February 2, 2024) that occurred in 2023, regardless of the level of American Rivers’ involvement. Inclusion on this list does not indicate endorsement by American Rivers.
“For nearly 100 years, dams on the Klamath River have blocked salmon and steelhead trout from reaching more than 400 miles of habitat, encroached on Indigenous culture, and harmed water quality for people and wildlife,” AmericanRivers.org said.
American Rivers does not enumerate the important benefits derived from dams: an important source of water supply, domestic water use, irrigation, industrial uses, hydroelectric power generation, flood control, drought mitigation, and for recreation – fishing and boating.
They continue about the Klamath Dam removal:
“The Klamath River dam removals will be among the largest dam removals in the nation’s history. On November 17, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the hydropower license surrender to remove these four dams from the Klamath River. This exciting progress is thanks to years of leadership by the Tribes that live along the river– including the Hoopa, Karuk, Yurok, Shasta, Klamath, and Modoc people– as well as efforts by the states of California and Oregon, the dams’ owner, federal agencies, and several nonprofits, including American Rivers. This is the first stage of a multi-step dam removal process that will improve water temperatures, increase the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, and reduce algal toxins, thus reconnecting coldwater habitat and allowing salmon to reproduce in safe and healthy conditions. The overall water quality improvements resulting from dam removal will bolster healthy communities and expand access to recreation.”
American Rivers’ IRS Form 990 for year 2022 shows incoming contributions and grants for annual income of $20,627,373, and $17,569,446 for the previous year.
and their statement of program service accomplishments tells all:
Influence Watch reports on American Rivers, and describes the non-profit:
American Rivers is an environmentalist organization based in Washington, D.C. that focuses on rivers and other water-protection issues. It pushes for new government regulations and restrictions to protect rivers from pollution. The group also pushes for the demolition of dams which it deems obsolete.
The organization reports a budget of $24 million. The organization is also a recipient of federal grants and receives donations from numerous private foundations and many left-of-center groups.
American Rivers opposes most hydroelectric dams, new dam construction, natural gas exploration through hydraulic fracking. It claims that fracking leads to pollution of surface and groundwater, leads to the displacement of wildlife, and turns rivers into industrial sites. It also claims that gas exploration leads to the pollution of drinking water. The organization raises money to buy the leases from energy companies and lobbies regulatory bodies to deny permits for oil and gas exploration.
Since its founding in 1973, the organization has received $1.2 billion in federal grants to fund various projects.
Notable contributors to American Rivers include the left-of-center Charles Stewart Mott Foundation,8 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation,9 New Venture Fund,10 Foundation for the Carolinas,11 and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 12 The group itself makes numerous grants to outside left-progressive and environmentalist organizations, including PolicyLink, National Audubon Society, and Trout Unlimited. 13
Influence Watch reports that the New York Times calls the New Venture Fund, a “dark money organization, serving as a way for left-leaning foundations and donors to anonymously funnel money toward various political advocacy issues, such as attacking vulnerable Republicans or pushing environmental restrictions.”
“The New Venture Fund, like all four nonprofits managed by the for-profit consultancy Arabella Advisors, primarily exists to sponsor a number of “fake” groups: websites designed to look like standalone nonprofits. These “fake” groups rarely become fully-fledged nonprofits; instead, they typically exist to effect an issue advocacy campaign pushing left-wing policies and may disappear after the campaign is finished. The New Venture Fund the oldest of Arabella’s four nonprofits, and was founded as the Arabella Legacy Fund in 2006. The groups it sponsors encompass a wide range of issues and policy areas.” 15
This is a video pleading with FERC to “stop the destruction of the dams and lakes, resulting in the destruction in people’s and animals’ lives. ‘Letter To FERC‘: Dam Removal Destruction ~ Letter to FERC”
It is not difficult to conclude what this California Globe reader did:
“I had an ugly thought reading this, so I did some checking, which made my suspicions stronger. Removing these dams, in the way it was done, just destroyed the economies, property values, and water supplies of the most reliably conservative communities in California. Areas of the state that went overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016 and 2020. Right before the 2024 general election. Make of it what you will.”
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“This is the first stage of a multi-step dam removal process that will improve water temperatures, increase the levels of dissolved oxygen in the water, and reduce algal toxins, thus reconnecting coldwater habitat and allowing salmon to reproduce in safe and healthy conditions. The overall water quality improvements resulting from dam removal will bolster healthy communities and expand access to recreation.”
This is sadly LAUGHABLE in light of the TOTALITY of the fish-kill that has resulted from this TERRORISM that has been leveled against the eco-systems of the river and dams associated with this project….
But isn’t that what Democrats, progressives and “environmentalists” do? Gaslight and obfuscate their destruction of almost EVERYTHING they interact with???
You’re hysterical — like, literally. But it’s cute seeing you pretend to care. As for what Dems do or don’t do, as a rule, they don’t back a dictator wanna-be who’s so stupid he doesn’t know that you stop defaming someone after losing a court case for defaming them. But stick to your alternative facts, there, bucky — a phrase created to make lying, notably by the right, sound better.
Kudos?
Agree! we have been fighting for the removal of Winchester Dam for years. Ryan Beckley, the head of WWCD, decides to fix this dam
As not even a high school graduate, he orchestrate the “fix” where 500,000+ lamprey will killed because he lowered the water 2″ per hour instead of 2 ft. He also used pressure treated wood and leaked cement into the North Umpqua River. when it was almost finished, I observed water rushing underneath the dam which spells future destruction. They have no insurance on this private dam which means when, not if it breaks, lives and property will be destroyed without compensation. This pool, as I call it is only for the 99 owners to water ski, swim. They have dumped the chemical that kills the long weeds just as you enter the water to make it more comfortable to swim and boat!! Ryan Beckley doesn’t even live on this pool, but has somehow hooked himself to the title of his girlfriend’s title. A disaster for the water quality for Roseburg residents and the elimination of Salmon!!
even your name (Honest Abe) defies what it means to be a liberal Democrat. just the word Trump in that comment sent you in a spin that had nothing to do with dam removal, or the fact of its consequences. Trump had nothing to do with it. what about our STUPID DICTATOR-WANA-BE governor. lying is the dems. only hope. ask Hillary
So you have to blame Republicans? SO what about all the toxins in our soil because it’s over used dye to ranching and farming. That, Sir, is actions cause by Republicans.
So true and sad.
BINGO!!!
That section 4c screenshot has almost EVERY single DEI/”Green” buzzword/buzzphrase on my BS-Bingo card!!!
#WordSalad
More details on the “Arabella Advisors” from Influence Watch :
“Arabella’s nonprofit network has implemented over 300 different “pop-up” projects targeting a range of issues, including net neutrality, free speech, abortion access, Obamacare, and President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees, and was highly active in funding pro-Democratic Party advertisements in the 2018 and 2020 elections. Its groups were also active in trying to manipulate the outcome of the 2020 U.S. Census in left-leaning states and the subsequent 2021-22 redistricting process, when state legislative and congressional districts were redrawn by state legislatures. 16 17 18 Multiple former Arabella employees have also been traced to the Biden administration. 19
Arabella Advisors specifically highlights projects in which it has helped its clients divest millions of dollars from traditional energy companies, invest in risky experimental companies, boycott the historically Republican-leaning U.S. Chamber of Commerce, enact a ballot initiative that freed 4,000 criminals in California, and lobby for a labor union-friendly policy in Oregon that was supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the Oregon Nurses Association.”
In other words, a “dark money” “progressive” (Communist?) slush fund…. or big-money anarchists….
How sick and twisted does your mind and soul have to be to energetically pat yourself on the back for the catastrophic result of these dam removals, as American Rivers does? How richly ironic is it that they oppose fracking because of so-called, invented-by-them water pollution when they have released every toxin known to man on the Klamath River, affecting its adjacent population, their property, livelihoods, water, wildlife, and lands? For who knows how long?
But what am I saying, these people aren’t in the business of attempting to improve anything or make anything better, they only want chaos and destruction. “Environmentalism” is beside the point. “Indigenous peoples” are beside the point. Obviously. And they got their cherished chaos and destruction, didn’t they. Over and over and over again, as we see. They also got plenty of cash from useful idiots, left-wing institutions and our own Federal government.
In addition to educating us about this and blowing the lid off of who is behind the actual environmental disaster that has occurred here, Katy Grimes has put together a convincing case that this catastrophe —- and presumably others —- were purposefully done, designed for wreckage and ruin from the beginning (because they have no plans to stop), whose targets were oh-so-very-conveniently conservative areas of the state.
Let’s make this Klamath Dams removal series go seriously viral. We need more and more and more people to understand what has happened here and who are the villains behind it. American Rivers et al are gunning for additional reckless dam removals — as we speak —- and they must be significantly challenged and stopped before more environmental disasters like this one occur.
Wow – Great Reporting!
Y’all should just get over it!
A private, for profit corporations decided to get rid of an asset that, if relicensed, would lose an estimated $24 million per year (California Energy Commission). The corporation used its influence (and political donations) to secure a sweetheart deal whereby it could walk away from the dams it owned and leave the bill for removing their non-performing asset with the taxpayers and electricity customers (I am both so I pay twice).
This is the American way.
The ruling class gets their way
And the people get to pay.
I don’t like it either but that IS the American way of doing business, especially now t we have the best government that money can buy.
Amen sister!
Actually I’m a “brother”. In Italy Felice is either male or female. I was named after my maternal grandfather who came to the US from Calabria.
Water supply is THE essential weapon of Communists. Rainy SE Asia must cope with China’s upstream dams. India has to adjust to China’s depredations in Tibet, namely dam construction. And then there are the Californians who must cope with Democrat Party sell-outs forcing, “legally”, dam removals in a State which has missive-scale droughts!
you are so right. These so called educated idiots have destroyed our rivers and killed all living creatures in the process. we need to start naming the people responsible so we can make sure they do not have electricity from a dam, no generator for power, no water to drink from any faucet no plants watered in their gardens so on and so on. They have caused so much damage to our ecosystem which will never return in my life time. They need to suffer just like what they have done to the citizens of this country. Any First Nation people should be ashamed of themselves. You think that the salmon will recover from what you have done but they have just been terminated.
All of these dark money NGO’s are the strong arms of the Democrat party. From the border to the dams, they do the bidding of the Dems. This cloak and dagger routine gets the government exactly what it wants while using another name to hide who is actually doing it.
Wow~! Thank you Katy Grimes~!~! Your article here is the First News Article which tells the story of Hundreds of these Fake “Dam Removals” all across our sacred nation~!~! This “American River” group is, essentially, a criminal organization, duplicity posing as a group which “cares” about the fish & wildlife, et al, et al~!~!
Thanks again for letting us know of that which “They” do Not Want us to Know~!~!
Wow~! Thank you Katy Grimes~!~! Your article here is the First News Article which tells the story of Hundreds of these Fake “Dam Removals” all across our sacred nation~!~! This “American River” group is, essentially, a criminal organization, duplicity posing as a group which “cares” about the fish & wildlife, et al, et al~!~! They Do NOT CARE~!
Thanks again for letting us know of that which “They” do Not Want us to Know~!~!
The KRRC was created AFTER PacifiCorp, the federal government, Oregon and California decided to move forward with decommissioning. American Rivers had no decision making authority in that. The dams are coming down because they were too costly to continue to operate. I’m not sure why people are opposed to removing government subsidies that would have been required to keep the dams up.
It’s about MONEY and CONTROL and this is the destruction of our humanity and democracy. Did any registered voter vote for this catastrophic debacle? We have no say in what is being done to OUR country.