Skeletons in the Klamath Basin's closets
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Rebecca Clarren’s article on the Bureau of
Reclamation’s Klamath River Basin Water Bank fails to mention
that over the past five years, $50 million has been given to
farmers in the Basin to reduce their water use through improved
irrigation efficiency (HCN, 10/17/05: 'Water bank' drags river
basin deeper into debt). Where is the water that has been saved as
a result of giving this massive taxpayer subsidy to Klamath Basin
irrigators?
Getting the answer would require a government investigation. The federal Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), which disbursed the money, says that details can’t be revealed even with a Freedom of Information Act request. The Klamath Forest Alliance has asked Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and other members of Congress to conduct an investigation, but we have been repeatedly rebuffed.
It seems that the representatives who brought home the bacon are not interested in learning how it was spent. I suspect there are some big skeletons locked in the Basin’s NRCS closets.
Felice Pace
Klamath Riverkeeper
Klamath, California
Getting the answer would require a government investigation. The federal Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), which disbursed the money, says that details can’t be revealed even with a Freedom of Information Act request. The Klamath Forest Alliance has asked Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and other members of Congress to conduct an investigation, but we have been repeatedly rebuffed.
It seems that the representatives who brought home the bacon are not interested in learning how it was spent. I suspect there are some big skeletons locked in the Basin’s NRCS closets.
Felice Pace
Klamath Riverkeeper
Klamath, California
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