Something in the Way: Interpreting Historical Frictions on the Upper Klamath River
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Date
2024
Authors
Wylie, Samuel
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
On November 17, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the surrender of licenses to operate four hydroelectric dams on the Upper Klamath River.2 Their approval, conveyed in a written order and filed alongside millions of documents in FERC’s E-Library, had historic implications. The order was the result of decades of negotiations influenced by stakeholders with concerns as large as the regional economy and as small as the view from their kitchen window. The final order conveys this recent history glancingly since most concerns were hashed out in a series of documents in the preceding decade. Its aim and implications were clear, however: The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), who inherited the hydroelectric licenses a year earlier, wanted to surrender their right to operate the facilities. Their decision initiated a monumental effort to remove the infrastructure from the river’s path and is currently the world’s largest dam demolition project to date.
Description
72 pages
Keywords
Klamath River, dam removal, physical landscapes, Upper Klamath, preservation, Interpretive Process, Architecture, Representation, FERC, Environment, Inclusive Preservation, Preservation Frameworks