Governor Kate Brown has issued the following statement about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announcement of a $15 million drought pilot for agricultural producers in the Klamath Basin:

“The Klamath Basin is facing historic challenges from drought conditions that are creating hardships for the people, farms, ranches, communities, and ecosystems of the region. Today’s announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is a great step to help agricultural producers in the region. I appreciate the partnership of Secretary Vilsack and the Biden-Harris administration in helping to relieve hardship in the region, both through this new pilot and ongoing programs.

“What is clear is that, because of the ongoing impacts of climate change on the region, the Klamath Basin will continue to face too many demands for a limited and decreasing supply of water. We must continue to work towards a long-term drought solution for the region, and today’s relief efforts are a down payment toward that goal.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $15 million for a new drought pilot to assist agricultural producers impacted by worsening drought conditions to provide relief to impacted California and Oregon producers in the Klamath River Basin. The announcement comes as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture will travel to the state for events focused on drought and wildfire resiliency on Tuesday. At issue is the survival of the Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker which live in Klamath Lake and whose existence is reportedly threatened by low water levels in the lake.

“As ongoing drought conditions in the West continue to worsen, we need to find ways to do things differently in order to provide help and assistance to producers, Tribes, and communities,” said Gloria Montaño Greene, USDA’s Deputy Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. “We recognize that current USDA programs and services are not enough to meet this historic challenge, and this pilot will help us find more tools to add to our toolbox.”

The Klamath Project’s “A” Canal will remain closed this year because of a lack of water supply. The canal, a major component of the Klamath Project, typically provides access to Upper Klamath Lake, supplying water for over 200,000 acres of farmland.

The block grant to the Klamath River Drought Response Agency will provide payments to producers to reduce irrigation demand. This will assist in allowing the limited supply of water to be used for other practices that are vital to the region’s food supply and to reduce adverse impacts to producers in the region and supply and distribution chains. Producers will apply for funding through the Klamath Drought Response Agency.

USDA will evaluate the outcomes to help inform future program design and will continue to monitor basins and drought conditions to determine where additional may best provide immediate economic support and relief to producers.

The strategy of the federal government curtailing the use of natural resources by historic users based on claims of environmentalists and then compensating harmed users, programs and jurisdictions has met with limited success, according to some observers. In the case of the northern spotted owl and other threatened species, compensating former users works only for a limited time, and after awhile, the payouts compete with other budget priorities and the exit strategy is to abandon the communities that have historically depended on the use of natural resources.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-08-02 17:49:22

Last Update: 2021-08-02 19:50:47