MEDIA ADVISORY FOR
APRIL 26TH
"WARREN BUFFETT, DO THE RIGHT THING --
TEAR DOWN KLAMATH DAMS" EVENT
A showdown is taking place
between an obstructionist utility, PacifiCorp, and a growing chorus of
California fishermen, Native American tribes, public health officials, as
well as state and federal agencies calling for the largest dam removal
project in U.S. history.
Thursday, Klamath Basin Tribal leaders and commercial fisherman will launch
a caravan from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf to PacifiCorp headquarters
in Salt Lake City, to Omaha, Nebraska, home of PacifiCorp's parent,
Berkshire Hathaway. They will arrive at the same time CEO Warren Buffett
meets with shareholders at the company's annual "Woodstock of Capitalism."
The groups will make their case to Buffett with moral as well as economic
arguments. San Francisco restaurants and consumers were hit hard last year
when the dams forced the effective closure of 700 miles of salmon fishing
leading to exorbitant prices for wild salmon. Tribal elders and commercial
fisherman will hold events all the way to Omaha to urge the company to do
the right thing: protect the people of the Klamath, while at the same time
making a rational business decision.
ISSUE
A confluence of economic, public health and environmental disasters taking
place on the Klamath River as a result of PacifiCorp's four dams (which
generate less than 2 percent of the company's electricity) has prompted
these diverse stakeholders to take their case on the road. The dams are
destroying what had been one of the great salmon rivers of the
world. The loss of salmon is decimating the fishing industry, tribal
cultures, and all the communities dependent on them. But "it's no longer
just a matter of fish. It's now a human health issue," said Zeke Grader,
director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations. Toxic
liver-damaging algae blooms and massive fish-kills
are common day occurrences for Klamath communities. Federal and state
agencies recommend taking the dams down due to their environmental impacts.
And what Warren Buffett also should know is that all this is bad business
because removing the dams actually is the utility's cheapest option.
WHAT: Press Conference & Boat Drive Launch
WHEN: Thursday, April 26, 2007 10 am
WHERE: In front of Scoma's Restaurant, Pier 47
(next to Fisherman's Wharf; Jones & Jefferson Streets), San Francisco,
California
WHO: (interview opportunities):
-
Commercial fishermen
-
Tribal leaders and fishermen from Yurok and other Klamath Basin tribes
-
Karuk tribal priests
-
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations (PCFFA)
-
Friends of the River, California's statewide river preservation group
PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES
-
20-foot traditional redwood Yurok dugout canoe
-
Tribal leaders in ceremonial robes
****B-ROLL OF KLAMATH RIVER DISASTER AVAILABLE ****
S. Craig Tucker, Ph.D.
Klamath Campaign Coordinator
Karuk Tribe of California
office: 530-627-3446 x3027
cell: 916-207-8294
ctucker@karuk.us
www.karuk.us
http://www.karuk.us