The removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River—completed in 2024 as the largest such project in U.S. history—has been widely celebrated as a monumental victory for Indigenous tribes, particularly the Yurok and Karuk, whose decades-long advocacy restored salmon habitats and cultural life ways. Yet, as environmental activist Felice Pace argues in a recent letter to editors, this narrative overlooks a critical economic factor: PacifiCorp’s decision, under Berkshire Hathaway ownership, to decommission rather than fight relicensing due to projected annual losses from operational changes.
Pace, a longtime Klamath advocate and former executive director of the Klamath Forest Alliance, contends that Oregon state biologists’ insistence on ending “ramping” flows—fluctuating water releases to maximize peak-hour electricity prices—was the tipping point. Ramping harms redband trout migration, and relicensing under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) would mandate more consistent flows, rendering the dams unprofitable. A 2006 California Energy Commission analysis estimated these changes could lead to $20 million in annual losses, aligning closely with Pace’s cited $21 million figure.
PacifiCorp publicly echoed this rationale, stating removal would save ratepayers money compared to costly upgrades for fish passage and water quality compliance, potentially exceeding $450 million. Tribal leaders, including Yurok Vice Chair Frankie Myers, have been credited in media events and announcements with governors for driving the outcome. However, Pace alleges a narrative shift by Warren Buffett’s firm to emphasize tribal efforts over economics, a claim not corroborated in mainstream reports but rooted in his first hand involvement.
