Tribes enlist Arnie's help in fishing feud

The Scotsman ^ | July 24, 2004 | JAMES DOW

[MadIvan]

Native Americans demonstrating in Edinburgh yesterday Fish rotting in the Klamath river. The tribesmen are calling for fish ladders or other measures to allow salmon to move upstream. Picture: David Moir

NATIVE Americans embroiled in a dispute with the energy company ScottishPower have pledged to take their case to the governor of the State of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The tribesmen were in Edinburgh yesterday to demonstrate at ScottishPower’s annual meeting. They say dams owned by a subsidiary of the company have damaged their fishing grounds.

They publicly challenged the chief executive of ScottishPower, Ian Russell, to make a personal commitment to resolving the long-running feud.

Mr Russell, who held private talks with the tribes on Thursday, promised to take charge of the company’s negotiations.

But the chairman of the delegation representing the tribes, Leaf Miller, said he would bring further pressure to bear on the company by seeking Mr Schwarzenegger’s support.

Mr Schwarzenegger is one of only a small number of people with the power to intervene in the dispute and force a solution.

The row concerns six dams in the north of California owned by ScottishPower’s US subsidiary, PacifiCorp. Four tribes - the Klamath, Karuk, Yurok and Hoopa - say the dams have devastated the salmon stock in the Klamath river basin.

The salmon are an important part of their economy, religion and history, and the tribes are trying to persuade ScottishPower to modify or remove its dams to allow fish to migrate up-river.

A member of the Indians’ delegation - whose native American name is Mohiswaqs but who introduced himself at the shareholders’ meeting as Jeff Mitchell - made an impassioned plea for support from the mostly Scottish audience.

He said: "I want to thank you, the people of Scotland, for your hospitality and for allowing us to come into your homelands to speak to you in this way.

"My people have suffered enormous harm. We would like to see a full range of alternatives - consistent with our principles - to address the issues we have raised. I will come back here again and again until we find a solution."

Mr Russell replied that the tribes had his "absolute commitment" to finding an answer to their dispute. He said: "We completely respect the sovereign nations who are represented here today. They have behaved with great dignity."

ScottishPower is currently seeking a new licence to operate the dams from the US water regulator. The tribes are pressuring the regulator to insert a clause in the licence requiring ScottishPower to provide solutions such as fish ladders - which allow salmon to leap upstream.

Scottish & Southern Energy, the Perth-based rival to ScottishPower, has installed similar devices on some rivers in Scotland. Some of the Californian dams are too tall, however, to accommodate fish ladders, requiring different solutions.

As governor of the state of California, Mr Schwarzenegger can demand the regulator inserts guarantees to protect the tribes’ interests. Mr Schwarzenegger’s office was unavailable yesterday to comment on its intentions in the case.

Mr Miller said he would press for the governor’s support shortly. "We have had an initial contact with the governor’s office and I will take a campaign to them when I return to the US," he said.

"In fact, we believe we already have strong support from some of the state’s agencies, such as the Water Resource Control Board."

Mr Russell told The Scotsman he was unwilling to set a deadline to resolve the discussion. "Some of these licence applications can take up to ten years," he said.

Mr Mitchell said he hoped the company would report at its annual meeting in 2005 that the two sides had agreed a solution.

ScottishPower shareholders heard that the Indian tribes had spent more than three years in negotiations with the company’s American subsidiary. They have been pressuring it to add - of its own volition - the desired clauses into its licence application.

But when the company recently submitted its draft application to the US water regulator, there was no mention of the salmon issue. The document is understood to weigh 80lb and stand three-and-a-half feet high.

Mr Mitchell said: "My people have spent years in meetings with PacifiCorp, one week of every month. We have committed enormous resources and hard work. The company’s interest in the dams is a very small fraction of their energy production."

He said ScottishPower’s commitment to the environment on issues such as green energy was "impressive". Such concerns were in the interests of shareholders, he said, and he asked them to press the company to extend its consideration to California.

Molly White, from the Karuk tribe, who had travelled to the protest with her 14-month-old son, Nicknekich, said: "We hope the shareholders hear our message and we hope it has an effect, because the fish are dying and we cannot live without our fish."

The chief executive of PacifiCorp, Judi Johansen, said she was "100 per cent committed" to finding a solution to the tribes’ requests. She had joined Mr Russell in the talks with the delegation on Thursday.

Mr Schwarzenegger - also known as Conan the Republican and The Governator in American political circles - pledged recently to "fight like a warrior" for the people of California.

[ridesthemiles]

You are not confused. The farmers got their water shut off and it was diverted to the river 2+ years ago to make the Indians happy. Didn't save the fish then, either. Drought is a problem for all of to share. Lots of farmers went bust over this water shut off, and the Government is still paying off the remaining farmers who sued.
The bigger problem is the Indian tribes overfishing the rivers. Their tribal numbers have grown, also, and they still expect the rivers and fish to supply them with "their needs".
Now they are attacking the power companies. These same Indians are using power in their homes, both on and off the reservation.
Also, tribes are stumbling over themselves to all have mega-casinos. They are lit up like crazy. SOOOOOOOOO, where do they think the power comes from? If you destroy long standing power sources in less populated areas, and there are no new sources being constructed, and the tribes themselves are suddenly using much more in their casinos than they used in their homes, what do they think will happen?
Someone sure hasn't taken a good look at the long view here, IMO.

[Issaquahking]

Wasp my friend, the enviro whack's who care nothing about the environment, have turned to other means to try and control the masses. They still want to get us all in cities at any cost, they're just escalating the war till someone does actually fire a shot. At which time they'll point a finger at us and talk about the violence we have created!

Here in Salt Lake City we have two very suspicious big fires as of late,(and reeks of ELF)and people refuse to recognize the dangers of the left. I say let's start a war on "The Green Al-quaida" and start locking the scum up at the very least!

Again I say that the real environmentalists in America are the small farmer and rancher, small miner, and small family sawmills; ACTUALLY THESE GROUPS ARE THE REAL ENDANGERED SPECIES BY DEFINITION!!! AS IS ANY INDIVIDUAL PATRIOT IN AMERICA WHO TRIES TO MAKE HIS LIVING OFF THE LAND.

[Jeff Head]

You are not confused...and the species was no more endangered than the common ant. The sucker fish was nothing more than a politcal and ideological ploy.

Those who are against property rights and the other fundamental, foundational principles this nation and our liberties were founded upon use this act regularly try and destroy those foundational principles.

Read about the entire event here, at THE STAND AT KLAMATH FALLS.

I was privileged to be eyewitness to those events.

[Jeff Head]

THESE GROUPS ARE THE REAL ENDANGERED SPECIES BY DEFINITION!!! AS IS ANY INDIVIDUAL PATRIOT IN AMERICA WHO TRIES TO MAKE HIS LIVING OFF THE LAND.

Amen my friend, but let me amend that just a little...ANY TRULY PATRIOTIC AMERICAN WHO SEEKS TO KNOW, INTERNALIZE AND FOLLOW THE FUNDAMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES THIS NATION WAS FOUNDED UPON IS ENDANGERED and squarley in the target sites of Al Quida and their abettors on the left, in the environmental movement, adherants to the UN Agenda's 21 or any of the other myriad efforts such enemies have going in this nation that are attempting to destroy those values.

And the most dangerous of those enemies are those who live amongst us and take advantage of the liberties and the principles in an effort to destroy them. They are true sappers within the perimeter.

The ESA is being used in such a fashion and it DOES NOT need to be amended IMHO...it needs to be abolished in whole.

[Jeff Head]

You got it SW...all a part of Agenda 21, being pushed by enemies to everything this nation was founded upon and upon which our liberties rest.

See my posts 43 and 44.

[SierraWasp]

"See my posts 43 and 44."

I seen 'em my FRiend Jeff who has the courage of his convictions!!! I just wish you were here in CA to help encourage all the lilly-livered Republicans and so-called "Conservatives," who are far too afraid to stand up to our very own property rights "Terminator!" (The Governator)

It seems his power of personality just makes everyone but a very few swoon and bow down to his Sierra-Nevada Conservacancy, even though his Recalled predecessor at least had enough sense to veto the ultimate in shear, utter nonsense!!!

The scenario it will trigger is just as stupid as that the one I articulated above and will also trigger an eventual back-lash against Republicans AND Conservatives for decades!!!

I had dinner last night in South Lake Tahoe with a fellow former County Supervisor who is a Republican, but NOT a Conservative and he has lived under the subjective sway of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and The Tahoe Conservancy (A State Agency with paid State Employees with big salaries and defined benefit pensions) for so long, that he thinks another EnvironMental GovernMental Bureaucrazy would be wonderful!!!

He just beamed and glowed at the prospect of "getting millions of dollars in government grants for everything from erosion control to bike paths!" I asked him why he wanted to stop erosion in the Tahoe Basin. Was it to "Keep Tahoe Blue" per the popular bumpersticker? Then I asked him how any and all of the buildable level land ever arrived in the Tahoe Basin... The silence was deafening!!!

By the way, why don't you write novels about scenarios like this, instead of about the Red Chinese? I know... It doesn't sell as well, right? I know, that wasn't a fair question. Sorry...

[DoughtyOne]

I'll tell you what, you come up with a way to declare the conservancies unconstitutional, and I'll back the turnover of all conservancy lands to the general public. The state can go screw itself into the ground.

I have no love for these land grabbing a.h.s.

[AuntB]

"I believe we are beginning to develop a deeper respect for eachother's point of view"

Oh, I so hope you are right. Thanks, Marsh.

[AuntB]

It's never about the long view, that might be environmentally sound. It's about greed. The thing that causes any man to take what belongs to another. It was true 200 years ago and it still is, the characters have just changed.

[AuntB]

Oh,Rocky, I'm sitting here in my study watching what looks llke a 50 mile ridge flame red about 15-20 miles from me. It's Southwest of Klamath falls. I can't find any current information on the net tonight for some reason. We had lots of lightning, no rain, strong winds. Doesn't look good.

[SierraWasp]

Nobody cares what's constitutional anymore... NOBODY!!!

The only exception is about three dozen CA FReepin Dinassores who try to stay consistent as Conservatives. And even many other FReepers don't give two hoots about it when choosing between Repellican candidates... one a celeb, and the other a constitutionalist!!!

Read Article 1, Section 1 of the CA constitution! It's way stronger and more explicit than the US constitution on the matter of private property rights!!!

Now... Have you written a brief hand written letter to the Governor asking him to permanently postpone this preposterous proposition? Coming from one who supported him with undying devotion, would be much more pursuasive than from ANY nasty McClintok supporter who wasn't paralyzed with fear over the "strawman" Bustamecha!!!

[GeronL]

har har =o)

[Happygal]

Thanks for the link. I remember a lot of it now. At the time, I was incredulous about what was allowed happen there.

[snopercod]

Farmers and ranchers are much too independent and self-sufficient. They must be elimininated.

[SierraWasp]

Kinda reminds one of Pol Pot's, Mao's and Stalin's attitude, doesn't it?

[Issaquahking]

Billy,

I am so sorry we couldn't have been the ones in control of forest management (that is to say us conservatives instead of the lawsuit morons) so that forest fires, when they do break out, would be much more manageable. A well managed forest doesn't have underbrush, deadfalls, and beetle kill standing in it to provide primo fuel....this is the result of greenie forest management. They are (the currently green folk in charge are) too stupid to grasp the concepts of healthy forest management - such as selective cutting, disease control, and planning for the future.

How do we get people to relize the plain and simple truth of what is going on in the back country of America? If they knew, they'd be hanging the greenies en masse', and I wouldn't have to be on the war path to educate the idiots who worship trees, rocks, and want God taken out of America.

All I can do from Utah is pray that the fire remains distant, and that you can remain at home.

[DoughtyOne]

You have an interesting way of enlisting support while trashing the person you wish to support your effort.

[Jeff Head]

That's okay SW, it's a fair question. For me, regardless of what some may feel, it has nothing to do with dollars...only with what I feel moved at the time to address.

After the the DFS (which contains most of the story about Klamath inbedded within its storyline as well as several other enviro-nazi issues) my next work will actually be:

The Stand at Klamath Falls
How rural Western Farmers stood up to perverse Environmentalism
and Agencies of the Federal Government...AND WON!

[farmfriend]

You have an interesting way of enlisting support while trashing the person you wish to support your effort.

We have been dealing with this since early April. Like me, Sierra is frustrated by those who seem more interested in critizizing us than helping with our efforts.

Those who supported Arnold should be the ones watching what he does, writing the letters and keeping him on the path they told the McClintock supporters he would take. Have you looked at the issue? Have you written your letter? Have you helped spread the word to others?

[DoughtyOne]

Helping with your efforts?  LOL, look I'm not going to help you take down Arnold Schwarzenegger mid-term, unless his does something unpopular enough that another recall is viable.  When primary time comes in 2006, I'll work with you to replace him with someone better.  Until then I'm still going to support him when I can, and criticize him when I can't.  Every time the guy does something positive, you folks slither in to list all the things he's done wrong.  No I won't help with that.

As for helping keep Schwarzenegger on the path I promised you, I made only one promise.  I promised that he would do some things I'd like, and probably a number of things I'd detest.  I know one guy who would have done more things I would have liked, but in a three way race he was unviable.  I know another guy who wouldn't have done one thing I liked, and he was electable.  I picked the third option.  That's the way it goes.

Well I'll tell you one thing I haven't done.  I don't come to the leading conservative forum in the state and do my damndest to make it known that Scwarzenegger has no support whatsoever.  You see, there will be times when he'll work to support something I like.  I'm not going to make him impotent, because that would be self-destructive.