The Klamath River is one of the most important rivers for imperiled populations of Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead trout on the West Coast of the United States. PacifiCorp's 169 megawatt Klamath Hydroelectric Project is a major contributor to the loss of salmon from more than 300 miles of habitat in the upper Klamath Basin. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reviewing the project's existing Federal Power Act license and will impose mitigation measures to reduce environmental impacts if it issues a new license. Decommissioning the project and replacing its electricity from other sources may be more cost effective than relicensing the project and installing fish ladders and water quality improvement devices to meet modern legal and scientific standards.
For more information, please contact:
Energy Facilities Siting Division
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street, MS-16
Sacramento, CA 95814
Documents, Files & Reports
Economic Modeling of Relicensing and Decommissioning Options for the Klamath Basin Hydroelectric Project - CONSULTANT REPORT, publication # CEC-700-2006-010, posted December 4, 2006. (Acrobat PDF file, 92 pages, 748 kilobytes)
Revised report: Response to Pacificorp's Comments on the Klamath Project Alternatives Analysis Model, ADDENDUM to CONSULTANT REPORT, publication # CEC-700-2007-004-REV1, posted April 20, 2007. Includes cover letter from Executive Director B.B. Blevins to FERC Acting Secretary Philis Posey. (Acrobat PDF file, 28 pages, 255 kilobytes)
Preliminary Assessment of Energy Issues Associated with the Klamath Hydroelectric Project, STAFF PAPER, publication # P700-03-007, posted July 15, 2003. (Acrobat PDF, 17 pags, 639 kilobytes)
Additional Background Materials
Letter from Commission Executive Director B.B. Blevins to the California Public Utilities Commission, RE: PacifiCorp's Klamath Hydroelectric Project. Transmittal of Economic and Energy Information from the California Energy Commission to Assist Public Utilities Commissions in Identifying the Least-Cost Project Alternative for Ratepayers. Dated October 29, 2007. (Acrobat PDF file, 9 pgs, 65 kilobytes)
Letter from Commission Executive Director B.B. Blevins to the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission, RE: PacifiCorp's Klamath Hydroelectric Project. Transmittal of Economic and Energy Information from the California Energy Commission to Assist Public Utilities Commissions in Identifying the Least-Cost Project Alternative for Ratepayers. Dated October 29, 2007. (Acrobat PDF file, 9 pgs, 65 kilobytes)
Letter from Commission Executive Director B.B. Blevins to the Oregon Public Utility Commission, RE: PacifiCorp's Klamath Hydroelectric Project. Transmittal of Economic and Energy Information from the California Energy Commission to Assist Public Utilities Commissions in Identifying the Least-Cost Project Alternative for Ratepayers. Dated October 29, 2007. (Acrobat PDF file, 9 pgs, 68 kilobytes)
Letter from Commission Executive Director B.B. Blevins to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Re: Klamath Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2082). California Energy Commission Response to PacifiCorpÕs Comments on the Klamath Project Alternatives Analysis Model and Consultant Report. Dated April 19, 2007. (Acrobat PDF file, 5 pgs, 48 kilobytes)
Letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - Klamath Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2082). Comments of California Energy Commission Staff on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Transmittal of the Report: Economic Modeling of Relicensing and Decommissioning Options for the Klamath Basin Hydroelectric Project. Dated December 1, 2006 (Acrobat PDF file, 9 pgs, 84 kilobytes)
Letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - California Energy Commission Staff Comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Scoping Document 1 for the National Environmental Policy Act Review of PacifiCorp's Klamath River Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2082. Dated July 22, 2004. (Acrobat PDF file, 9 pgs, 84 kilobytes)
Letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - California Energy Commission Staff Comments on PacifiCorp's Final Application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the Klamath River Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2082. Dated April 26, 2004. (Acrobat PDF file, 9 pgs, 84 kilobytes)
Klamath River Basin Issues and Activites: An Overview - Congressional Research Service, Report for Congress, The Library of Congress, September 22, 2005. (PDF file, 42 pages, 944 kb)