Response to Senator Aanestad's criticisms

The members of your Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee authored a resolution to be submitted to the California Republican Party for consideration at its Fall Convention in an effort to influence legislators and our governor to oppose removal of the Klamath River Dams.

Unfortunately we were blocked at the last minute during the Resolutions Committee hearings. State Senator Aanestad had several concerns about the intent of our resolution to save the Klamath River Dams.

He testified that they are “four very old dams.” The fact is they were built between 1918 and the last one finished in 1962. People born in 1962 don’t even qualify for Social Security.

Aanestad testified for our resolution to be amended with the meat taken out of it in regards to saving the dams. There is disagreement about his testimony, but I was there and he was solidly against our resolution and its intentions.

According to the Siskiyou Daily News in reporting on the senator’s Dec. 8 Yreka Town Hall meeting, Aanestad said, “...he would have listened to a resolution specific to the four dams, but said that he felt the original resolution was a “blanketed, uneducated resolution” and that it was “a bad resolution.”

I disagree with that criticism. This resolution was passed unanimously by the Siskiyou County Republican Central Committee with many knowledgeable local leaders as members.

This same resolution was submitted to the 58 members of the California Republican Party County Chairmen’s Association and it passed by a strong solid vote with not one county chairman in attendance speaking against it. These County Chairmen are Republican Leaders who understand the issues and the meanings of resolutions.

Below is the Resolution for your review.

California Dams and Hydropower Protection Resolution for the Benefit of California’s Tax Payers and Electric Ratepayers

“Whereas the 2008 Oregon State Republican Party platform states in part of section 4.3: “We oppose the breaching of dams and support additional storage sufficient to the needs of sound water management, hydroelectric power and environmental policy based on verifiable science.”,

And Whereas the California Republican Party County Chairmen’s Association understands the need for dams to provide water storage for the needs of agriculture, industry, and residents,

Understands that hydroelectric dams provide green energy,

Further understands that the state of California does not officially recognize hydropower as green electricity except for limited circumstances and low scale production,

Whereas the state of California is facing an energy supply shortage,

Whereas the state of California is facing financial hardships,

Whereas the state of California is facing water shortage problems,

Therefore let it be resolved the California Republican Party County Chairmen‘s Association,

Adopts “We oppose the breaching of dams and support additional storage sufficient to the needs of sound water management, hydroelectric power and environmental policy based on verifiable science” as the official stance of the County Chairmen’s Association,

Opposes the spending of any taxpayer dollars whether federal or state for the breaching of dams in the State of California,

Further opposes the raising of electricity rates for dam removal,

Requests that the state of California recognize all hydropower as green energy,

Greatly Appreciates the California Republican Women North Division composed of 62 Clubs in 37 northern California counties for their valued leadership in the upholding of Republican Ideals with the solid stance by a unanimous vote at their March 15, 2009 convention in opposition to removal of the Klamath River Hydropower Dams.”

As you can see, this Resolution was well researched.  In one section it accurately reported that California does not recognize high production hydropower as green energy.

We hope that if California does recognize all hydropower as green energy then the state and PacificCorp will then be more inclined to save the dams in order for PacificCorp to meet its state mandated green energy production requirements.

This Resolution also used some wording from the Oregon Republican Party Platform. The Resolution conveyed our message and complimented a Republican Women’s Organization for their leadership brought about by the initiative of the two Siskiyou County Republican Women’s Clubs.

Our Resolution was “educated” and would have been beneficial to our cause. If you believe in our bipartisan Siskiyou County cause we would welcome your support as would other organizations fighting to save our dams.

• Brandon Criss is chairman of the Siskiyou County Republican Party