From Deseret News archives:
Activists call for tearing down dams in Oregon
They demonstrate outside Rocky Mountain Power
About a dozen demonstrators outside One Utah Center called for the removal of four dams on the Klamath River, which winds through southern Oregon and northern California. The building at Main Street and 200 South is headquarters for Rocky Mountain Power, which serves Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
Rocky Mountain Power's connection to the Klamath Basin controversy is that its parent company, PacifiCorp, does business as Pacific Power in Oregon, Washington and California; the utility operates Klamath River and Klamath Lake power projects. PacifiCorp in turn is owned by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.
The protesters are on their way to the Omaha, Neb., home of Warren E. Buffett. One of the companies the billionaire investor owns is Berkshire Hathaway, which controls the majority of stock in MidAmerican.
Native Americans held signs calling for removal of the dams. One placard said "CLEAN WATER IS GOOD BUSINESS." Some chanted during the protest. When someone shouted "Save the Klamath!" from a nearby building, they cheered.
"We're concerned with four dams on the lower Klamath River," said Soren Jespersen of the Friends of the River organization, based in Sacramento. The oldest of the dams was built about 80 years ago, he said, and others are outdated.
"We're on a pilgrimage to Omaha to tell Warren Buffett," he said. The protesters want to tell him his subsidiary is operating dams that are killing salmon and threatening tribal cultures and rural communities, he said.
"We think Warren's a good guy. He recently donated a big chunk of change to the Bill Gates Foundation. He lives in the same house he grew up in, and we think he'll welcome us with open arms."
Helping to hold one large sign that featured a salmon were Luana Hillman and her nephew, Ike, both of Orleans, Calif., who are of the Karuk Tribe. The aunt wore a traditional hat, which was like a basket, as well as necklaces of beads and shells.
"It's killing our fish, killing our way of life," Luana Hillman said. Algae that builds up behind the dams is toxic to some species in the river system, she added.
Ike Hillman, 21, said impounded water grows hot behind the dam, and when it is released it heats up a four-mile stretch below it. That's bad for fish, he said.
Comments
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day 9:18 p.m.
- Utah Capitol renovation boss quits 9:15 p.m.
- Downtown plans three-day 'Eve' 9:13 p.m.
- More than 2 bars per block in S.L. 9:09 p.m.
- Heath care reform advocates rally 9:09 p.m.
- Sandy halts Granite annexations 9:07 p.m.
- Ugandans debate death penalty 9:01 p.m.
- U.S. to fork over $3B to tribes 9:00 p.m.
- Obama: Stimulus to spur job growth 8:59 p.m.
- Small-business conditions pick up 8:54 p.m.
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Yet again, we learn BCS is a big joke
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day
- Cougars in better mood about bowl
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
- Ranking the bowl games
- $2M error could mean layoffs
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Dr.: Mitchell seeks signs from God
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
278 - Letters: Global warming a lie
212 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
205 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
162 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
142 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
107 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
101 - Harpring's NBA career is over
99
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Joyce Gannon offers the following advice...
it's clear to any non-biased observer that the republicans have no desire to...
well, it was kinda nuts that this was ever a restriction in the first place....
i have to agree with Jordan fan, Alex Hart was the real deal this past...
7500 seats sold that is not just for fun. I went to the game and was totally...
From my experience as a Park & Recreation Administrator in the Cleveland &...
if you ask non-partisan book keepers, the stim package is already working and...
This poor little kid should be given to parents who will treat him right.
I'm looking forward to being able to tell my grandchildren that I remember...
I would love to know where to find a copy of this film. My Cobra was hit in...
I regularly list things that Glen Beck says that are not true. INsurance for...


You can be the first to comment on this story.