House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) issued the following statement today regarding the announcement of a draft Klamath dam removal agreement that could potentially cost $450 million:

“Congress needs to ask some real hard questions on why federal taxpayers should be footing any of the bill to tear out dams owned by a private corporation.  Paying for this study and agreement should be the responsibility of the private company that owns these dams, and not Americans who face a nationwide unemployment rate of nearly ten percent.

“If the elected leaders of California and Oregon believe their states’ citizens have the extra money to pay for it, then let them.  But don’t sign the federal taxpayers up for one dime of this bailout.”

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