April 30, 2002     Print-Friendly Version   

Farm Bill to Include Walden’s Chiloquin Dam Fish Passage Study

Walden’s Chiloquin Dam bill stalled in Senate for six months; Farm Bill provision necessary to move critical fish passage study forward  

WASHINGTON, OR – After helping to secure $50 million in conservation funds for the Klamath Basin Monday, U.S. Congressman Greg Walden today (R-OR) scored another victory for the Basin when the House succeeded in including Walden’s legislation to study fish passage at Chiloquin Dam in the final version of the Farm Bill.  Walden’s bill, H.R. 2585, passed unanimously in the U.S. House on October 30, 2001, but has languished in the Senate since that time.   

“We’re continuing to make steady and significant progress on the issues that most affect the environment and the people of the Klamath Basin,” said Walden.  “Including this provision in the Farm Bill will help ensure the recovery of the sucker fish by improving access to their native habitat.  When the Chairman of the National Academy of Science panel testified before the Resources Committee on this issue, he suggested that the suckers would be lined up to breed if it weren’t for the Chiloquin Dam.  That’s why we need to conduct a comprehensive study of this problem so we can take the appropriate steps to ensure the passage of the suckers.” 

Walden continued, “I fully recognize that once we solve the fish passage issues at Chiloquin Dam, we still have an extraordinary amount of work to do to improve habitat throughout the Basin.  I remain fully committed to working with all affected parties to find a comprehensive solution to these problems.” 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that the Chiloquin Dam on the Sprague River blocks 95 percent of the spawning habitat for endangered shortnose and Lost River sucker fish.  The dam has been identified as a significant habitat problem for suckers by a number of additional parties, including the Klamath Tribes, the Bureau of Reclamation, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Trout, and the Klamath Water Users Association.  

Walden’s legislation ordering the study of fish passage at Chiloquin Dam was drafted in consultation with the Klamath Tribes and the Modoc Point Irrigation District.  

Walden praised House Agriculture Chairman Larry Combest for his support of the Chiloquin Dam measure, saying, “Again it was Chairman Combest who made the difference.  On Monday he convinced the Farm Bill conferees to accept a $50 million earmark for conservation projects in the Basin, and last night he secured agreement to include my legislation to study fish passage at Chiloquin Dam.” 

Walden continued, “We can’t afford to sit around and wait any longer.  We need action now to solve the significant fish passage problems at Chiloquin Dam.  Including this provision in the Farm Bill means we can get going on the study as soon as the ink is dry on the Farm Bill,” said Walden. 

Oregon Trout, one of the largest and most effective conservation organizations in the Pacific Northwest, issued the following statement with regard to the inclusion of the Chiloquin Dam provision in the Farm Bill: 

“Oregon Trout understands that language from Congressman Greg Walden's Chiloquin Dam Fish Passage Feasibility Study Act of 2001 (H.R. 2585) has been included in the final version of the Farm Bill. This legislation passed the House last year, and has been awaiting action in the Senate for several months.  Including this language in the Farm Bill will allow the fish passage problems at Chiloquin Dam on the Sprague River to be studied and evaluated.  ‘This study should assure that the best solution for providing adequate fish passage at this dam will eventually be implemented,’ stated Jim Myron, Conservation Director of Oregon Trout. ‘Resolving fish passage problems at the Chiloquin Dam will assist in the restoration of native fish in the Sprague River basin and should be helpful to landowners in their efforts to secure needed resources for habitat restoration activities in the basin.’”

Highlighting the additional funding available for the Klamath Basin in the Farm Bill, Walden said, “When the political dust settles, we’re going to have access to considerable resources to begin solving the problems that have vexed this Basin for years.  I’m continuing to fight for strong report language that will direct the Secretary of Agriculture to use money in the Water Conservation Fund to help us with other projects in the Basin.  We should know by today how well we’ve done on that front.” 

On Wednesday, May 1, 2002, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman will testify before the House Committee on Resources.  Walden, who sits on the Resources Committee, intends to inquire of the Secretary what her plans are to use the programs in the Farm Bill to maximize assistance for the Basin.

The legislative language of the Chiloquin Dam provision, as it is expected to appear in the Farm Bill, is as follows: 

(a) IN GENERAL -- The Secretary of the Interior shall, in collaboration with all interested parties, including the Modoc Point Irrigation District, the Klamath Tribes, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, conduct a study of the feasibility of providing adequate upstream and downstream passage for fish at the Chiloquin Dam on the Sprague River, Oregon. 

(b) SUBJECTS- The study shall include –

(1)   review of all alternatives for providing such passage, including the removal of

      the dam;

(2) determination of the most appropriate alternative;

(3) development of recommendations for implementing such alternative; and

(4) examination of mitigation needed for upstream and downstream water users,

      and for Klamath tribal non-consumptive uses, as a result of such

      implementation. 

(c) REPORT- The Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study by not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Congressman Walden represents the Second Congressional District of Oregon, which includes the 20 counties of southern, central and eastern Oregon. Rep. Walden is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the the House Committee on Resources.