i v fest/crs i · i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i v_fest/crs 2007-5115 "united states...
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V_fEST/CRS2007-5115
"UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT
KLAMATH IRRIGATION DISTRICT, TULELAKE IRRIGATION
DISTRICT, KLAMATH DRAINAGE DISTRICT, POE VALLEY
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, SUNNYS1DE IRRIGATION DISTRICT,
KLAMATH BASIN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, KLAMATH HILLS
DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT CO., MIDLAND DISTRICT
IMPROVEMENT CO., MALIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT, ENTERPRISE
IRRIGATION DISTRICT, PINE GROVE IRRIGATION DISTRICT,
WESTSIDE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 4, SHASTA VIEW
IRRIGATION DISTRICT, VAN BRIMMER DITCH CO., FRED A.
ROBI_ISON, ALBERT J. ROBINSON, LONNY E. BALEY, MARK R.
TROTMAN, BALEY TROTMAN FARMS, JAMES L. MOORE, CHERYL
L. MOORE, DANIEL G. CHIN, DELORIS D. CHIN, WONG POTATOES,
INC., MICHAEL J. BYRNE, DANIEL W. BYRNE and BYRNE
BROTHERS,
V.
UNITED STATES,
and
Plaint(ffs-Appellants,
Dqfendan t-Appel lee,
PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATION,
Defendant-Appellee.
Appeal fiom the United States Court of Federal Claims in 01-CV-
591, 01-CV-5910 through 01-CV-59125, Judge Francis M. Allegra
CORRECTED AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF OF THE KLAMATH
TRIBES AND THE HOOPA VALLEY INDIAN TRIBE IN SUPPORT
OF THE UNITED STATES SUPPORTING AFFIRMANCE
Lead Counsel
WALTER R. ECHO-HAWK
Native American Rights Fund
1506 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80305
(303) 447-8760
Counsel for Klamath Tribes
THOMAS P. SCHLOSSER
Morisset, Schlosser, Jozwiak &
McGaw
801 2 "J Ave. #1115
Seattle, WA 98104-1509
(202) 386-5200
FILEDU.S.COURTOF APPEALSFOR
THEFEDERAl.CIRCUIT
DEC 0 6 2007
Counsel for Hoopa Valley lndian Tribe
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2007-5115
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT
KLAMATH IRRIGATION DISTRICT, TULELAKE IRRIGATION
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DISTRICT, KLAMATH DRAINAGE DISTRICT, POE VALLEY
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, SUNNYSIDE IRRIGATION DISTRICT,
KLAMATH BASIN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, KLAMATH HILLS
DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT CO., MIDLAND DISTRICT
IMPROVEMENT CO., MALIN IRRIGATION DISTRICT, ENTERPRISE
IRRIGATION DISTRICT, PINE GROVE IRRIGATION DISTRICT,
WESTSIDE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT NO. 4, SHASTA VIEW
IRRIGATION DISTRICT, VAN BRIMMER DITCH CO., FRED A.
ROBINSON, ALBERT J. ROBINSON, LONNY E. BALEY, MARK R.
TROTMAN, BALEY TROTMAN FARMS, JAMES L. MOORE, CHERYL
L. MOORE, DANIEL G. CHIN, DELORIS D. CHIN, WONG POTATOES,
INC., MICHAEL J. BYRNE, DANIEL W. BYRNE and BYRNE
BROTHERS, Plaintiffs-Appellants,
V.
UNITED STATES,
and
Defendant-Appellee,
PACIFIC COAST FEDERATION OF FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATION,
Defendant-Appellee.
Appeal from the United States Court of Federal Claims in 01-CV-
591, 01-CV-5910 through 01-CV-59125, Judge Francis M. Allegra
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AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF OF THE KLAMATH TRIBES AND THE
HOOPA VALLEY INDIAN TRIBE IN SUPPORT OF THE UNITED
STATES SUPPORTING AFFIRMANCE
Lead Counsel
WALTER R. ECHO-HAWK
Native American Rights Fund
1506 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80305
(303) 447-8760
THOMAS P. SCHLOSSER
Morisset, Schlosser, Jozwiak &
McGaw
80 l 2 "0 Ave. # 1 l l 5
Seattle, WA 98104-1509
(202) 386-5200
Counsel for Klamath Tribes Counsel for Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe
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CERTIFICATE OF INTEREST
Counsel for the amici curiae Klamath Tribes and Hoopa Valley Indian
Tribe certifies that the following intbrmation complies with Rule 47.4 of the
Federal Circuit Rules ("Fed. Cir. R."):
t. The full names of the parties represented by me are: KLAMATH
TRIBES and HOOPA VALLEY INDIAN TRIBE.
2. The names of the real parties in interest represented by me are: See
answer to No. I.
3. All parent corporations and any publicly held companies that own
10 percent or more of the stock of the parties represented by me are:
None.
4. There is no such corporation as listed in paragraph 3.
5. The names of all law finns and the partners or associates that
appeared for the parties now represented by me in the trial court or are
expected to appear in this case are:
Lead Counsel: Co-Counsel:
Walter R. Echo-Hawk
Native American Rights Fund
1506 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-8760
Thomas P. Schlosser
Morisset, Schlosser,
Jozwiak & McGaw
801 2 "d Ave. # l 115
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 386-5200
Dated: October 30 th, 2007
Walter R. Echo-Hawk
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CERTIFICATE OF INTEREST ................................................................................ i
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... ii
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES .................................................................................. iii
STATEMENT OF INTEREST AND IDENTITY OF AMICI CURIAE ................ l
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ................................................................................. 4
ARGUMENT ............................................................................................................ 7
, APPELLANTS' ARGUMENTS ARE FORECLOSED BY THE
OREGON SUPREME COURT'S UMATILLA DECISION, WHICH
DETERMINED TttAT UPON COMPLIANCE WITH THE 1905
ACT, FEDERAL RECLAMATION PROJECT WATER RIGHTS
VEST IN THE UNITED STATES ................................................................ 7
. DETERMINATION OF OWNERSHIP OF KLAMATH PROJECT
WATER RIGHTS MUST BE BASED ON THE 1905 ACT AS
INTERPRETED BY UMATILLA; APPELLANTS' ATTEMPTS TO
FABRICATE A CONTRARY RULE OF OWNERSHIP OF
FEDERAL RECLAMATION PROJECT WATER RIGHTS BASED
ON OTHER STATES' LAWS AND UPON APPELLANTS'
ERRONEOUS ANALYSIS OF THE OREGON COMMON LAW
MUST BE REJECTED ............................................................................. l l
, No "TAKING" OCCURRED IN 2001 WHEN THE UNITED
STATES CURTAILED JUNIOR PROJECT WATER RIGHT
DELIVERIES IN ORDER TO PROTECT SENIOR INDIAN
WATER RIGHTS, BY VIRTUE OF THE PRIOR
APPROPRIATION DOCTRINE ................................................................. 18
CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 24
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
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FEDERAL CASES
Blake v. Arnett,
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page
633 F.2d 906 (9th Cir. 1981) ................................................................................... 3
California v. United States,
438 U.S. 645 (1978) ................................................................................................ 11
Colo. Rivet" Water ConservationDist. v. United States,
424 U.S. 800 (1976) ................................................................................................ 23
H.F. Allen Orchards v. United States',
749 F.2d 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1984) ............................................................................... 13
lckes v. Fox,
300 U.S. 82 (1937) .................................................................................................. 13
Joint Bd. of Control v. United States,
832 F.2d 1127 (9th Cir. 1987) ................................................................................. 20
Kandra v. United States,
145 F. Supp. 2d 1192 (D. Or. 2001) ................................................................ passim
Kittitas Reclamation Dist. v. Sunnrside Valley Irrigation Dist.,
763 F.2d 1032 (,9th Cir. 1985) ................................................................................. 20
Klamath Irrigation Dist. v. United States,
67 Fed. CI. 504 (2005) ............................................................................ 1, 16, 18, 19
Klamath Water Users Protective Ass 'n v. Patterson,
204 F.3d 1206 (9th Cir. 2000) .......................................................................... passim
Nebraska v. Wyoming,
325 U.S. 589 (1945) ................................................................................................ 13
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Nevada v. United States,
463 U.S. 110 ('1983) ................................................................................................ 13
Oregon v. United States,
467 U.S. 1252 (1984) ................................................................................................ 2
Pac. Coast Fed 'n of k_shetvnen's Ass 'ns v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
426 F.3d 1082 (9th Cir. 2005) ............................................................................. 2, 23
Pac. Coast Fed 'n of Fishermen's Ass 'ns v. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation,
138 F. Supp. 2d 1228 (N.D. Cal. 2001) .................................................... 3, 7, 19, 21
Parravano v. Babbitt,
70 F.3d 539 (9th Cir. 1995) ............................................................................. 2, 3, 21
United States v. Adair,
723 F.2d 1392 (9th Cir. 1984) ............................................................................. 2, 19
United States v. Braren,
338 F.3d 971 (9th Cir. 2003) ..................................................................................... 9
United States v. Eberhart,
789 F.2d 1354 (9th Cir. 1986) ................................................................................. 21
United States v. Or. Water Res. Dept.
44 F.3d 758 (9th Cir. 1994) ....................................................................................... 9
United States v. Or. Water Res. Dept.
774 F. Supp. 1568 (D. Or. 1991) ........................................................................... 22
STATE CASES
Fort Vannoy b'rigation Dist. v. Water Res. Comm 'n,
162 P.3d 1066 (Or. Ct. App. 2007) .................................................................. passim
Grande Ronde Elec. Co. v. Drake,
78 P. 1031 (Or. 1905) .............................................................................................. 10
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In re Hood River,
227 P. 1065 (Or. 1924) ...................................................................................... 11, 15
Nev. Ditch Co. v. Bennett,
45 P. 472 (Or. 1896) ................................................................................ 6, 10, 14, 17
Portland Gen. Elec. Co. v. Bureau of Labor and Indus.,
859 P.2d ! 143 (Or. 1993) ............ ............................................................................ 10
In re Unitah Basin,
133 P.3d 410 (Utah 2006) ....................................................................................... 13
United States v. Pioneer Irrigation Dist.,
157 P.3d 600 (Idaho 2007) ...................................................................................... 13
bl re Water Rights of Deschutes Rivet"
286 P. 563 (Or. 1930) ......................................................................................... 14-15
In re Waters of Umatilla River
168 P. 922 (Or. 1917) modified and affld by 172 P. 97 (Or. 1918) ................. passim
In re Waters qf Walla Walla River,
16 P. 939 (Or. 1933) ................................................................................................ 15
ADMINISTRATIVE CASES
h2 re the Determination of'the Relative Water Rights of the Klamath River,
Case No. 286, Amended Order on Motions for Legal Ruling
(.Oregon Water Res. Dept., Feb. 13, 2007) ....................................................... 19, 20
In re the Determination o['the Relative Water Rights of the Klamath River,
Lead Case No. 003, Proposed Order at 18 (Conclusion of Law No. 24)
(Oregon Water Res. Dept., November 14, 2006) .......................................... 9-12, 19
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FEDERAL STATUTES and TREATIES
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531 etseq ................................................. 2
Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act, 25 U.S.C. §§ 1300i et seq ................................. 20-21
Pub. L. No. 100-580, § l, 102 Stat. 2924, 2924 (1988) .......................................... 21
Pub. L. No. 102-575, § 3406(b)23, 106 Stat. 4603, 4716 (1992) ........................... 21
Reclamation Act, 32 Stat. 388 (1902)
(codified as amended at 43 U.S.C. §§ 371 etseq.) ............................................ 7, 11
Treaty with the Klamath etal., Oct. 14, 1864, 16 Stat. 707 ..................................... 2
STATE STATUTES and LAWS
General Laws of Oregon, ch. 228, § 2 (1905) ................................................. passim
OR. REV. STAT. § 540.510 (200l) 13
OR. RZv. S'rAr. § 539.130 (2005) .............................................................................. 9
RULES, REGULATIONS and OTHER AUTHORITIES
Calif. Dep't of Fish & Game, September 2002 Klamath River Fish-Kill."
Final Analysis of Contributing Factors and Impacts (July 2004) (available at
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.corrd-hoopa/CDFG2004.pdf) .................................. 23
Crisis oJConl_dence. The Political Influence of the Bush Administration on
Agency Science and Decision-Making Hearing Before the H. Comm. on
Natural Resources, 110th Cong. (2007) ................................................................ 23
") ,Fed. R. App. P..9(a) ................................................................................................. 4
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Memorandum from Office of the Solicitor, Reg'l Solicitor, Pac. Sw. & Nw.
Regions, to Reg'l Dir., Region 1, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Serv., Portland, Or.,
et al. 5-6 (Jan. 9, 1997) (last modified Aug. 23, 2007) (available at
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/SolMem010997.pd f) .......................... 2 l
Memorandum from Office of Solicitor, Reg'l Solicitor, Pac. Sw. Region, to
Reg'l Dir., Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pac. Region 8 (July 25, 1995) (last
modified Dec. 8, 2006) (available at
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/SolMem072595.pd f) ......................... 21
OR. ADM_. R. 137-003-0515 .................................................................................... 9
S. PEP. No. 100-564, at 4-6 (1988) ......................................................................... 21
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath Rivet" Die-OffSeptember 2002,
REP. NO. AFWO-F-02-03 (Nov. 7, 2003) ............................................................... 23
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STATEMENT OF INTEREST AND IDENTITY OF AAHCI CURIAE
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This brief is filed by two federally recognized Indian tribes, (l) the Klamath
Tribes located in the upper Klamath River Basin of southern Oregon and (2) the
Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe, which occupies a reservation near the mouth of the
Klamath River in California. Both have dwelt in tile basin since time immemorial
and possess federally protected water rights in the Klamath River system that are
senior to any water or storage rights for the United States Bureau of Reclamation's
Klamath Irrigation Project (hereinafter, "Klamath Project" or "Project"). In
addition, both tribes possess federally protected fishing rights in basin waters.
The Klamath Project is a massive federal irrigation project that diverts
enormous amounts of water out of Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon during
the irrigation season to inigate about 240,000 acres of farmland. Klamath
Irrigation District, et al. v. United States, 67 Fed. C|. 504, 509 (2005) (hereinafter
the decision of the court below, "K/D"). The Kiamath Tribes reside upstream of the
Project above Upper Klamath Lake, which is a shallow natural lake used as the
Project's storage reservoir. The lake is home to the Tribes' treaty protected lake
fishery, including sucker fish species called "c'wam" by Klamath Indians that is of
great importance to the Tribes' physical and spiritual well-being. Kandra v. United
States 145 F. Supp. 2d 1192, 1197 (D. Or. 200l) (hereinafter, "Kandra"). C'wam
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live in the lake and surrounding waters and nowhere else. They are listed as
endangered under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA"), 16 U.S.C. § 1531, etseq.
Project operations affect lake water levels and the c'wam, thereby impacting tribal
water rights and treaty fishing rights protected by the Treaty of 1864, 16 Star. 707
(reserving the fight to hunt, fish, and gather on the Klamath Indian Reservation).
United States v. Adair. 723 F.2d 1392 (9 th Cir. 1984), cert. denied sub nora.
Oregon v. United States. 467 U.S. 1252 (1984); Kandra 145 F. Supp.2d at 1197.
After the Project diverts and consumes water from Upper Kiamath Lake for
irrigation, waste water is discharged back into the Klamath River, often laden with
agricultural waste. Project operations significantly alter and deplete downstream
river flows into the Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe's reservation where the tribe's water
rights and fishing rights are affected. Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's
Assoc. v. United Sta/es Bureau of Reclamation, 426 F.3d 1082, 1085-87 (9 _hCir.
2005); Parravano v. Babbitt, 70 F.3d 539 (9 t" Cir. 1995), cert. denied, 518 U.S.
1016 (1996); Kandra, 145 F. Supp.2d at 1197. The tribal fishery includes coho
salmon that provide the Hoopa and neighboring Yurok Tribe with "a source of
food, opportunities for employment and income, and the basis of [tribal] customs
and traditions" and are listed as a threatened species under the ESA. Kandra, 145
F. Supp.2d at 1197.
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These salmon are "not much less necessary to [the tribes' existence] the
atmosphere they breathed." Parravono, 70 F.3d at 542 (citing Blake v. Arnett, 633
F.2d 906, 909 (9 th Cir. 1981) (internal quotations omitted)). Project water
management affects the coho sahnon, as was the case in the 200l water year at
issue in this case. Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Assoc. v. Bureau of
Reclamation, 138 F. Supp. 2d 1228 (N.D. Cal. 2001) (hereinat_er, "PCFFA'_.
In short, the amici tribes reside upstream and downstream of the Klamath
Project. Their water and fishing rights are affected by Project water managernent.
As trustee for the tribes, the United States must operate the Project consistent with
tribal water and fishing rights and comply with tribal water requirements necessary
to fulfill senior tribal water rights "that take precedence over any alleged rights of
the irrigators." Klamath Water Users' Protective Association v. Patterson, 204 F.3d
1206, 1209, 1213-1214 (9 th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 812 (2000)
(hereinafter, "Patterson'% This case affects these vital tribal interests because the
appeal raises pivotal legal questions concerning the management and ownership of
Project water and storage rights. Resolution of these questions could severely
impair the United States' ability to manage the Project consistent with its fiduciary
trust obligations to protect the tribes' treaty and trust resources in two respects.
First, if private irrigators--who have no trust obligation to the tribes-- are said to
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"own" Project water rights, future operations could disregard tribal trust resources.
Second, if the United States is liable for "taking" the irrigators' alleged property
interest in Project water whenever it acts to discharge its trust duty to protect tribal
water and fishing rights, the United States' ability to carry out its duty will be
crippled, if not destroyed.
The source of authority for filing this brief is Rule 29(a), Fed. R. App. Proc.,
permitting amicus curiae to file a brief with leave of the court.
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
The decision below should be affirmed. Judge Allegra correctly rejected the
takings claims in this case on the grounds that the United States owns all of the
water and storage rights tbr the Klamath Project under state and federal law, and
the Plaintiff-Appellants (hereinafter, "Project water users") do not own any
constitutionally protected property rights to receive water from the Project. On
appeal, the Project water users maintain they are the owners of the disputed Project
water rights for their appurtenant lands. Their contention is simply not the law in
the State of Oregon. As will be shown, Appellants have presented an erroneous and
seriously incomplete picture of Oregon water law regarding the ownership of water
and storage rights for the Klamath Project by (1) ignoring controlling Oregon law;
and (2) attempting to fabricate a rule of ownership based on appurtenancy and
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beneficial use which, even if it is the law in other states, is no.___!the law in Oregon.
Moreover, the decision below should be affirmed for the additional reason that
even if Appellants were the owners of the Project water rights, which they are not,
their takings claims would still fail under Oregon's doctrine of prior appropriation.
The first flaw in Appellants' argument is that their entire discussion of
Section 2 of the Act of February 22, 1905, Or. Gen. Laws, 1905, Ch. 228
(hereinafter, "Oregon's 1905 Act" or "1905 Act"), which is the dispositive state
law that prescribes how the United States shall obtain water rights for federal
irrigation projects in Oregon, completely overlooks the Oregon Supreme Court's
authoritative interpretation of that Act in In re Waters of Umatilla River, 88 Or.
376, 168 P. 922 (1917), rood(fred and a{l'd on rehg., 88 Or. 376, 172 P. 97 (1918)
(hereinafter, "Umatilla"). t Brief of Plaintiffs-Appellants at 2, 19, 37-43
(hereinafter, "Plaintiffs-App. Br."). Umatilla held that compliance with Oregon's
1905 Act vests in the United States title to water appropriated by the Federal
Government tbr federal irrigation projects and thus completely forecloses
Appellants' argument that they, and not the United States, are the owners of water
rights for the Project.
Sec. 2 of the 1905 Act is contained in the Addendum of the United States'
brief.
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Second, Appellants are entirely mistaken in arguing that there is a general
rule of ownership of federal reclamation project water rights, based solely on
appurtenancy and beneficial use, which is applicable in Oregon. Plaintiffs-App. Br.
at 30, 32. Whatever the law may be in other states, ownership of federal
reclamation project water rights m Oregon is determined by the 1905 Act, as
interpreted by Umatilla.
Moreover, even if Oregon common law were to be applied (which it should
not be), Appellants' arguments would still fail. The line of Oregon Supreme Court
cases beginning with Nevada Ditch Compare, v. Bennett, 30 Or. 59, 94-98, 45 P.
472, 482 (1896) (hereinafter, "Nevada Ditch Compat(v'), makes clear that under
Oregon common law, developers who appropriate water tbr irrigation projects may
own the vested water rights for those projects by putting the water to beneficial use
through the "agency" of the water users. The recent decision in Fort Vanno_,
Irrigation District v. Water Resources Commission. 214 Or. App. 88, 162 P.3d
1066 (Ct. App., July i 1, 2007) (hereinafter, "Fort Vannoy h'r. Dist."), holding that
the water rights at issue were owned by an irrigation district, and not by the
landowner who applied the water to beneticial use, further confirms the fallacy of
Appellants' assertions.
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Finally, as held by the court below (,67 Fed. CI. at 539 n. 60-63), even
assuming arguendo that the United States does not own any Project water rights,
Appellants still have no takings claim. Oregon's water law doctrine of prior
appropriation requires senior water rights to be satisfied during times of water
shortage betbre junior water rights are entitled to any water. Id. That is precisely
what happened in 200l--the United States curtailed junior water right deliveries to
Project water users in order to satisfy the senior tribal water rights of the amici
curiae Indian tribes to sufficient water to protect tribal trust resources. Kandra, 145
F. Supp.3d at 1197, 120l; PCFFA, 138 F. Supp. 2d at 1230-32. Under that
circumstance, it can hardly be said that a taking occurred, without undermining the
entire body of western water law built upon tile prior appropriation doctrine.
ARGUMENT
1. Appellants' Arguments Are Foreclosed By The Oregon Supreme Court's
Umatilla Decision, Which Determined That Upon Compliance With The 1905
Act_ Federal Reclamation Project Water Rights Vest In the United States.
The Reclamation Act, 32 Stat. 388 (1902) (codified, as amended, at 43
U.S.C. §§ 371 et seq.) requires the Secretary of the Interior to acquire water rights
for federal reclamation projects in contbrmity with state law. Unlike many western
states, the Oregon legislature enacted a special statute in 1905 to prescribe the
manner in which the United States shall acquire water rights for federal
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reclamation projects. See, Oregon's 1905 Act, §2. Determination of ownership of
water rights for federal irrigation projects in Oregon is thus a matter of statutory
construction. Appellants mistakenly believe the 1905 Act has never been
interpreted by the Oregon Supreme Court, 2 and their resulting analysis is flawed
because it tails to mention or take the Oregon Supreme Court's interpretation of
the Act in its Umatilla decision into account. As explained below, Appellants'
arguments are completely foreclosed by the Umatilla decision.
Section 2 of the 1905 Act prescribes that once the United States has
complied with the statute's requirements, reclamation project water "shall be
deemed to have been appropriated by the United States" and "[n]o adverse claims
to the use of the water.., shall be acquired under the laws of this State except for
such amount of said water.., as may be released in writing by an officer of the
United States." Following "the plain mandate of the statute," the Umatilla court
explained that once the United States contbnns to the terms of the statute, "the
plain precept of the law vests the United States with title to all waters not
theretofore appropriated." 88 Or. at 399, 172 P. at 100. Accordingly, the court
2 Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 2 n. 2 ("the precise meaning of the 1905 Oregon
statute . . . has never been addressed by the Oregon Supreme Court"), 19 ("the
appropriate construction of a 1905 Oregon statute . . . is undetermined by the
Oregon Supreme Court").
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awarded the United States tile water right for the project.
Umatilla is controlling law in Oregon. It was followed most recently in the
State of Oregon's pending Klamath Basin Adjudication to reject the very
contentions Appellants present here. In re the Determination o/the Relative Water
Rights of the Klamath River, Lead Case No. 003, Proposed Order at 18
(Conclusion of Law No. 24), 19-23, (Oregon Water Resources Dept., November
14, 2006) (hereinafter, "Klamath Adjudication, Proposed Order, Case 003"). 3
3 This Proposed Order is reproduced in tbe United States' Response Brief
Addendum. It can also be accessed at the following website:
http://www.schiosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/ProposedOrder.pdf. The order was
issued by Administrative Law Judge (hereinafter, "A[J") Maurice L. Russell, I1, of
Oregon's Office of Administrative Hearings (hereinafter, "OAH"), which is all
independent administrative hearing panel established by state law to hear contested
administrative cases. See, Or. Admin. R. 137-003-0515. OAH ALJs oversee
discovery and conduct evidentiary bearings in contested cases in the Klamath
Basin Adjudication and then, following legal briefing by the parties, issue
proposed orders determining contested water rights. The proposed orders are
reviewed and finalized by the Adjudicator of the Klamath Basin Adjudication
under Or. Rev. Stat. § 539.130. The parties' exceptions to the Proposed Order in
Case 003 are currently under review by the Adjudicator. United States v. Oregon
Water Resources Dept.. 44 F. 3d 758, 764-765 (9 th Cir. 1994), cert. denied sub
nora. Klamath Tribes v. Oregon, 516 U.S. 1995) describes the statutory process for
adjudicating water rigbts in Oregon's Klamath Basin Adjudication. United States
v. Braren. 338 F.3d 971,973-974 (9 'h Cir. 2003) describes tile role of the OAH in
that process.
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In that proceeding, ALJ Russell pointed out that the 1905 Act must be
construed under tile rules of statutory construction laid out in PGE v. Bureau of
Labor and Industries, 317 Or. 606, 610 (1993). Accord, Fort Vannov b'rigation
District, 214 Or. at 95, 162 P.3d at 1070. Applying those rules, he determined that
"[t]he language of the statute is unambiguous" and held that the United States'
appropriation under the Act vested ownership of Project water rights in the United
States. Klamath Adjudication, Proposed Order, Lead Case 003, at 20-23. 4
As correctly held by the court below and the decision in Klamath
Adjudication, Proposed Order, Lead Case 003, the 1905 Act, as interpreted by
4 The ALJ's construction of the statute is correct. Use of the term
"appropriated" in the 1905 Act and Umatilla opinion clearly means a vested water
right, because the Oregon Supreme Court had previously defined that term as
including all things necessary to obtain a vested water right in 1896, nine years
before the law was enacted. Nevada Ditch Company, 30 Or. at 87-91 (.the term
"appropriation" is "used with reference to a claim to the use of water of a public
stream from the time of inception of the right, at all the intermediate stages, and
down to the time when the last act is accomplished by which the right is finally
completed and secured."). Accord, Grande Ronde Electric Co. v. Drake, 46 Or.
243, 249, 78 P. 1031, 1033 (,1905) ("The word 'appropriate' . . . is generally
understood to mean an application of water to beneficial use.") which is
contemporaneous with the 1905 Act. Thus, the Umatilla court saw no ambiguity in
the statute and applied its plain meaning. 172 P. at 100. In so doing, the court was
cognizant of the doctrines of appurtenancy and beneficial use (168 P. at 924), but
nonetheless equated compliance with Section 2 with the acquisition of a vested
water right.
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Umatilla, completely forecloses Appellants' claim that they, and not the United
States, are the owners of the Project water rights. 5
2. Determination Of Ownership Of Klamath Project Water Rights Must Be
Based On The 1905 Act As Interpreted By Umatilla; Appellants' Attempts To
Fabricate A Contrary Rule Of Ownership Of Federal Reclamation Proieet
Water Rights Based On Other States' Laws And Upon Appellants' Erroneous
Analysis Of The Oregon Common Law Must Be Reiected.
Under the 1902 Reclamation Act, the appropriation of water rights for
federal reclamation projects is governed by state law. See California v. United
States, 438 U.S. 645, 664 (1978). As explained above, the controlling state law in
Oregon is the 1905 Act, as interpreted by the Oregon Supreme Court in Umatilla.
As statutory law, the Act of 1905 supplants Oregon's common law manner for
appropriation of water, h7 re Hood River, 114 Or. 112, 172, 227 P. 1065, 1084
(1924) (hereinafter, "Hood River") ("a state may change its common-law rule as to
every stream within its dominion, and permit the appropriation of flowing water
for such purposes as it deems wise."). The 1905 Act prescribes specific steps by
5 As mentioned above, Section 2 of the 1905 Act only allows Project water
users to obtain Project water rights from the United States for such amounts "as
may be released in writing by an officer of the United States." This brief does not
address Appellants' contention that they obtained Project water rights from the
United States in this manner as that contention will in all likelihood be addressed
by the United States, other than to note that those contentions were properly
rejected both in the court below and in Klamath Adjudication, Lead Case 003, at26-39.
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which the United States could obtain water rights for the Klamath Project in
Oregon. As held in Umatilla, the United States' compliance witll the 1905 Act
prescription is dispositive of the matter.
A proper analysis of the ownership of reclamation project water rights in
Oregon thus begins, and ends, with the 1905 Act, as interpreted by Umatilla. See,
Klamath Adjudication, Proposed Order, Case 003, at 20-23; Fort Vannov Irr. Dist.,
214 Or. App. at 94. However Appellants ignore this controlling law. Instead they
look to the water laws of other states and to Oregon common law, to fabricate a
seemingly immutable rule of ownership of federal reclamation project water rights
based solely on appurtenancy and beneficial use. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 24-37.
They then argue that the 1905 Act cannot properly be interpreted as contradicting
this (non-existent) rule. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 37-43. Appellants' arguments are
incorrect and must be rejected for the reasons explained below.
First, Appellants are entirely incorrect in arguing that Oregon law is
"indistinguishable" from the law of other states with respect to ownership of
federal reclamation project water rights. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 29. While the
Project water users place heavy reliance upon three Supreme Court cases to argue
that they, not the United States, are the owners of water rights for the Klamath
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Project, lckes v. Fox, 300 U.S. 82 (1937); Nebraska v. H'_voming, 325 U.S. 589
(1945); and Nevada v. United States, 463 U.S. 110 (1983); (Plaintiffs-App. Br. at
19-20, 24-29) and attempt to extrapolate state water law from the states at issue in
those cases to that in Oregon (Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 29-37), none of the states in
Ickes, Nebraska. and Nevada have statutes remotely comparable to Oregon's 1905
Act. Similarly, although Appellants rely upon H. F. Allen Orchards v. United
States, 749 F.2d 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1984), and upon state court opinions from Idaho
(United States v. Pioneer Irrigation Dist., 157 P.3d 600 (Idaho 2007)) and Utah
(In re Unitah Basin, 133 P.3d 410 (Utah 2006)). Plaintiffs-Apps. Br. at 20-22, 28-
29, they fail to demonstrate any similarity between the applicable state laws
involved in those cases and the 1905 Act.
Second, Appellants erroneously analogize the laws of other states to
Oregon's common law governing the appropriation of water rights to derive an
ownership rule based solely on appurtenancy and beneficial use. Plaintiffs-App.
Br. at 30-33. 6 Appellants' analysis is flawed in two respects. First, Oregon's
common law for the appropriation of water rights is not applicable to the United
States' appropriation of water rights for federal reclamation projects, because the
6 Appellants also cite to the post-1905 statutory codification of the common
law principle of appurtenancy. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 30 (citing Or. Rev. Stat. §
540.510 (200l)).
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common law has been supplanted by the 1905 Act which was enacted by the
Oregon legislature for this specific purpose. Second, Appellants' analysis of the
Oregon common law is in error. Whatever the law may be in other states, in
Oregon there is no general rule that landowners or other beneficial users are ipso
facto owners of project water fights.
Under Oregon law there are three elements of a valid common law
appropriation: (1) intent to appropriate water to a beneficial use; (2) diversion of
water from a stream or natural water body; and (3) application of water to
beneficial use. In re Water Rights of Deschutes River, 134 Or. 623,633, 286 P.
563, 567 (hereinafter, "Deschutes River'S). While it is generally correct that under
Oregon law water fights are appurtenant to the lands benefited thereby, Appellants'
assertion that appurtenancy and beneficial use determine ownership of water fights
in Oregon is simply incorrect. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 31 ("the rule in Oregon is...
that beneficial users of the water.., possess a vested right in the water").
As made plain in Nevada Ditch Company and its progeny, developers who
appropriate water for irrigation projects may own the vested water rights for those
projects even though they do not own land within the project or themselves put the
water to beneficial use. 30 Or. at 94-98. Such water rights are perfected through
the agency of landowners or end users who put the water to beneficial use on their
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appurtenant lands, but those parties are mere agents of the appropriator who do not
themselves own a property interest in the water right, ld. Under this rule,
developers of every description who appropriate water for irrigation projects
(public corporations, irrigation companies, irrigation districts, and Reclamation)
have been declared owners of vested water rights for those projects. [d., In re
Waters of Walla Walla River, 141 Or. 492, 498-499, 16 P. 939, 941 (1933)
("When a public corporation complies with all of the provisions of this statute, it,
and not the owner of the land supplied, acquires the right to the use of the water.");
Deschutes River, 134 Or. 655 ("It was the plan of the Water Law of 1891 . . . and
runs through all the cases, that an appropriation may be made [by a water
company] for the use of another; and for the future use upon lands which the
appropriator does not then own, or which he does not contemplate owning, and
which he never does own."); Hood River, 114 Or. at 137-138 (irrigation company
declared owner of water rights for project water); Umatilla (United States owns
vested water rights to water appropriated for federal irrigation project under
Oregon's 1905 Act); Klamath Basin Adjudication, Lead Case No. 003 (United
States, not project water users or irrigation districts, owns the vested water rights
for the Klamath Project which were appropriated by the United States under
Oregon's 1905 Act); Fort Vannoy Ill'. Dist. 214 Or. App. at 90-98 (irrigation
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district, not the appurtenant landowner, owns the water rights to project water [or
the landowner's land). As explained in g"alla Walh_, the only interest acquired by
the end user in this circumstance is a contract right to the water supplied to his
land. 141 Or. at 497-498.7
Fort Vannoy Irr. District is the most recent rejection of appellants' central premise.
In that dispute between an irrigation district and a landowner within the district
over the ownership the water right to project water delivered to the landowner's
land, the court held that the irrigation district, not the landowner, owned the water
fight, s
7 Furthermore, to the extent that the project imgators claim water rights
based solely upon their bare beneficial use of project water alone, they fail to
establish ownership of vested water rights under the Oregon common law which,
as explained above, requires three elements: (1) intent, (2) diversion; and (3)
beneficial use. To the contrary, (l) none of them had the requisite intent in 1905
when the water was appropriated; and (2) the water is diverted from Upper
Klamath Lake by the United States, not the end users, and delivered to their land
by the United States ttu:ough contracts with various entities. Patterson, 204 F.3d at
1209 (water is diverted from Upper Klamath Lake by a local power company
pursuant to a contract with the Bureau of Reclamation); KID, 67 Fed. CI. at 511
(project water is delivered to end users by water delivery organizations pursuant to
contracts with Reclamation). See, Klamath Adjudication, Lead Case 003, at 21-23,
29-32 (rejecting the Project water users' argument that their bare beneficial use of
Project water means they own a vested water right).
8 This case rejects appellants' central premise, together with the erroneous
position espoused in the Oregon Water Resource Depamnent (OWRD) brief
submitted by and relied upon by appellants (Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 30-31), because
it rejects the Oregon Water Resources Commision's reasoning (continues)
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Finally, Appellants erroneously argue that the 1905 Act must be interpreted
in such a manner that it does not "contradict" Oregon's common law rule of
ownership based on appurtenancy and beneficial use. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 37.
However, as explained above, there simply is no such rule in Oregon. Nor does
the vesting of water rights in the appropriator under the above cases upset the
doctrine of beneficial use or any other core principle of Oregon water law, as
suggested by appellants. Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 37. As ALl Russell noted in
Klamath Basin Adjudication, Lead Case No. 003. at 25, Klamath Project water is
put to beneficial use through the agency of the water users through contracts for
the distribution of water to land throughout the project; and the ALJ quantified the
United States' water right on the basis of that beneficial use. The rule allowing
developers to appropriate water tbr land owned by others effectuates the beneficial
use of water on their appurtenant lands just as effectively as any other arrangement
for holding and owning Oregon water rights. 9
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that only a landowner of appurtenant land can own the water right for that land.
214 Or. at 92-98.
9 AS explained in the foundational case of Nevada Ditch Company, 30 Or. at
96-97:
The general purpose of an appropriation is to utilize the water in the arid
regions, where the supply is limited, for the development and advancement
of beneficial industries. In many localities where the water is difficult of
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For all of the above reasons, Appellants' faulty arguments in support of an
ownership rule in Oregon based on appurtenancy and beneficial use must be
rejected. The decision below, which properly determined ownership of the Project
water rights based on the controlling Oregon law, should be affirmed.
3. No "Taking" Occurred In 2001 When The United States Curtailed Junior
Proiect Water Right Deliveries In Order To Protect Senior Indian Water
Rights_ By Virtue Of The Prior Appropriation Doctrine.
Even if the United States has no Project water rights, Appellants' taking
claim still fails under Oregon's prior appropriation doctrine. K/D. 67 Fed. CI. at
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diversion and the expense considerable in conducting it to the place of use, if
(continues) individual landowners, or even an aggregation of them, were
required to make the appropriation for use upon their own possessions, these
general purposes would be entirely defeated, simply for the reason that such
holders could not bear the burden of making the appropriation. In such cases
other persons possessing capital are often willing to make the diversion for
the benefit of those who have use for the water, but unless they may
contemplate a use which may be applied by the landowner to his
possessions, they could not even initiate the appropriation until they had
possessed themselves of lands in proportion to the amount of water it is
desired to appropriate; so that if the user nmst be the appropriator, and the
appropriator the landholder, the arid regions in many places would remain
arid, whereas otherwise they could be made to teem with fertility. No
sufficient reason has been suggested why the contemplated use may not be
for, and upon the possession of, a person other than the appropriator. The
authorities we have seen support the rule that it can be, and we believe it is
correct upon principle. We take it, therefore, that the bona fide intention
which is required of the appropriator to apply the water to some useful
purpose may comprehend a use to be made by or through another person,
and upon lands and possessions other than those of the (continued)
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539. The "first in time, first in right" rule is a bedrock principle of Oregon water
law. In times of shortage, senior water rights must be satisfied before junior rights
are entitled to receive water. Id. The priority date of Klamath Project water rights
is May 19, 1905, whethel owned by the United States or water users. Klamath
Basin Adjudication, Lead Case No. 003, at 17. Those rights are junior to the water
rights of the amici curiae Indian tribes discussed below.
It is well-settled that in managing Klamath Project water, the United States
has a legal responsibility to protect the senior water rights of the amici curiae
tribes. That point was conclusively resolved in prior litigation among the parties to
this appeal and is not subject to relitigation. Patterson, 204 F.3d at 1209, 1213-
1214; PCFFA, 139 F. Supp.2d at 1231; l_21ndra, 145 F. Supp. 2d at 1197,
1201-1202. The Klamath Tribes' water rigi_t priority date for fishery purposes is
"time immemorial"--the most senior in the Basin. United States v. Adair, 723 F.2d
at 1412-1415. Their water right claims in Upper Klamath Lake (the Project storage
reservoir) were recently upheld by ALJ Russell in In re the Determination of the
Relative Water Rights of the Klamath River, Case No. 286, Amended Order on
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appropriator. Thus the appropriator is enabled to complete and
establish his appropriation through the agency of the user.
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Motions tbr Legal Ruling (Oregon Water Resources Dept., Feb. 13, 2007). _°
Though quantification of tile Tribes' senior right is pending, tile United
States is legally obligated to protect it from diversions to satisl_, junior rights. See
Joint Board of Control v. United States, 832 F.2d 1127, 1131-32 (9 th Cir. 1987)
(upholding Bureau of Indian Affairs water management of an irrigation project to
protect unquantified tribal water rights); Kittitas Reclamation Dist. v. Sunnyside
Valley lrr. Dist., 763 F.2d 1032, 1033-34 (9 th Cir. 1985), cert. denied. 474 U.S.
1032 (1985) (ordering release of reservoir water to protect unquantified tribal
fishing and water rights). See also, cases protecting unquantified senior rights of
the amiei curiae tribes from diversions to junior Project rights: Patterson, 204 F.3d
at 1213-14; Kandra, 145 F. Supp. 2d at 1196-97, 1201, 1204.Similarly, the
downstream Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe and the Yurok Indian Tribe occupy
reservation lands set aside by the United States in the 19 th Century near the mouth
of the Klamath River. These tribes hold rights to take fish and associated water
rights within their reservations through a series of nineteenth century executive
orders issued in 1855, 1876, and 1891; the tribes' rights were also approved by
statute in 1864, and confinned by the 1988 Hoopa-Yurok Settlement Act, 25
_oThis order can be accessed at the following website:
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/Case286.pd f.
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U.S.C. §§1300i et seq. iLParravano, 70 F.3d at 547; United States v. Eberhart, 789
F.2d 1354, 1359 (9 tl_Cir. 1986). See also. Patterson, 204 F.3d at 1209, 1213-1214;
PCFFA, 138 F. Supp.2d at 1231; Kandra, 145 F. Supp.2d at 1197. Even though
their rights have not been quantified, the United States still must protect them from
infringement by junior water rights in its management of the Klamath Project. _2
The seniority of the amiei curiae Indian tribes' water rights over any junior
water rights of the Project water users is recognized in Patterson, 204 F.3d at
1213-1214, which affirmed tile district court's finding that the irrigators' rights, if
any, "were subservient to senior tribal water rights" and held that Reclamation "has
a responsibility to divert the water and resources necessary to fulfill the Tribes'
rights, rights that take precedence over any alleged rigilts of the Irrigators." Thus,
I_See, S. Rep. No. 100-564 at4-6 (Sept. 30, 1988); Pub. L. 100-580, §l, 102
Stat. 2924 (Oct. 31, 1988); Pub. L. 102-575, § 3406(b)23, 106 Stat. 4603, 4716
(Oct. 30, 1992).
_2 See also, 1995 opinion of the Department of the Interior Office of the
Solicitor, Pacific Southwest Region, at 8 (concluding that Reclamation must
protect the tribes' fishing rights) (accessible at:
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/SolMem072595.pd f (last modified
Dec. 8, 2006); Memorandum, Department of the [nterior Office of the Solicitor,
Pacific Southwest Region, re: Oregon Assistant Attorney General's Mar. 18, 1996
letter regarding Klamath Basin Water Rights Adjudication (Jan. 9, 1997) at 5-6
(accessible at: http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/SolMem010997.pdf (last
modified Aug. 23, 2007).
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the United States has both the authority and legal responsibility to operate the
Project "to comply with Tribal water requirements." Id.
Furthermore, whenever the United States acts to protect those rights from
infringement by junior water fight diversions, as was the case in the 200 l, it cannot
be said that a taking of the junior right occurs due to the relative priority of those
respective water rights. Oregon's prior appropriation doctrine "prioritizes claims of
rights to water according to the simple rule: first in time, first in right." United
States v. Oregon Water Resources Dept., 774 F. Supp. 1568, 1573 (D. Or. 1991),
affd in part. and rev'd, in part, or, other grds., 44 F.3d 758 (9 th Cir. 1994). As a
matter of state and federal law, the rule requires that in times of shortage senior
rights must be satisfied before junior rights are entitled to receive water, and this
pertains regardless of Reclamation's actions. _3 See, authorities cited by tile court
_3 Appellants do not deny in their opening brief that the United Stales'
curtailment of water deliveries in 2001 was done in order to protect endangered
species in Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River and to protect tribal water
rights and trust resources as discussed in Kandra, and PCFFA, but question the
efficacy of that action stating the decision "was not based on sound science and
apparently did nothing to help the fish." Plaintiffs-App. Br. at 6-7, 52 (citing a
National Academy of Science Report regarding endangered sucker habitat in
Upper Klamath Lake). We disagree. The biological opinions in 2001 considered
additional factors necessary to avoid jeopardy; and while the Academy Report
criticized the biological opinions, it did not detract from the fact that low flows in
the Klamath River, caused by diversions in 2002, was a substantial contributing
cause to the largest adult sahnon fish kill in recorded history. (continues)
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below (67 Fed. CI. at 539 n. 60-61, including Colorado River Water Conserv. Dist.
v. United States, 424 U.S. 800, 805 (1976)). Thus, the lower court correctly held
any irrigator fights are "subservient to the prior interests.., of the various tribes"
and "could not have been taken or infringed upon by the failure of the Bureau to
deliver water in 2001." Id. Under the doctrine of prior appropriation, even if
Appellants were the owners of the Project water rights, which they are not, their
takings claims would still fail, and the decision below should be affirmed for this
reason also.
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Pac!fic Coast Federation of Fishermen's Assoc. v. Bureau of Reclamation, 426
F.3d at 1087. As a California Department of Fish and Game Report explained,
"flow management under the 2002 Biological Opinion... is the only major factor"
distinguishing (continued oil the next page) 2002 t'rom 2001 to have caused the
fish kill. See. California Department of Fish and Game, September 2002 Klamath
River Fish Kill: Final Analysis of Contributing Factors (July 2004)
(accessible at: http://www.sch[osserlawfiles.com/_hoopa/CDFG2004.pdf See also,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Klamath River Die-Off September 2002, Rep. No.
AFWO-F-02-03 (Nov. 7, 2003) ("The fish die-off in 2002 coincided with.., the
lowest discharge at Iron Gate [Dam, downstream of the Klamath Project] for years
with large run sizes.") (accessible at:
http://www.schlosserlawfiles.com/-hoopa/USFWS2003.pdf ). The United States
House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee recently held a hearing to
inquire whether the fish kill was the result of political intervention into Klamath
Project water management. See. Full Committee Oversight Hearing: "Crisis of
Confidence: The Political lntluence of the Bush Administration on Agency
Science and Decision-Making," Committee on Natural Resources, House of
Representatives (July 3 I, 2007) (accessible at:
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_calpro&Itemid=32&
extmode=view&extid=85 (Last visited Oct. 10, 2007).
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CONCLUSION
For tile above reasons, the decision below should be affimled.
Dated this 30 th day of October, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
/z/_ #e (__#_#-Walter R. Echo-Hawk
NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND
1506 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-8760
Thomas P. Schlosser
MORISSET, SCHLOSSER,
JOZWIAK & MCGAW
801 2nd Ave., #1115
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 386-5200
Counsel for Klamath Tribes and
Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe
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CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITH
FEDERAL CIRCUIT RULES 29(d) AND 32(a)(7)
The principal attorney of record for the amici curiae Klamath Tribes and
Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe states that this amicus curiae brief complies with the
type-volume limitations of the Federal Circuit Rules 29(d) and 32(a)(7). The brief
contains 6,005 words, including the parts of the brief exempted by Federal Rule of
Appellate Procedure 32(a)(7)(B)(iii). In addition, counsel states that this brief
complies with the typeface requirements of Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure
32(a)(5) and the type style requirements of Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure
32(a)(6). This brief has been prepared in proportionally spaced typefacing using
Microsoft Word 2003, in 14 font, Times New Roman typeface.
Walter R. Echo-Hawk
Attorney for Klamath Tribes and
Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
The undersigned certifies that on this 18't' day of December 2007, two
true and correct copies of the foregoing Corrected Amicus Curiae Brief of
the Klamath Tribes and the Hoopa Valley Indian Tribe in Support of the
United States Supporting Affirmance were served via first class U.S. mail to
the following:
Katherine J. Barton
Kathryn E. Kovacs
Appellate SectionEnvironment and Natural Resources Div.
U.S. Department of JusticeP.O. Box 23795, L'Enfant Plaza Station
Washington, D.C. 20026(202) 353-7712
Todd Dale True
Earth Justice 705 Second Avenue,Suite 203
Seattle, WA 98104-1711
(206) 343-7340
ttrue@earthj ustice.or_
Nancie G. Marzulla
Roger J. MarzullaMarzulla & Ma_ulla
1350 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 410
Washington, D.C. 20036(202) 822-6760
William M. GanongGeneral Counsel
Klamath Irrigation district
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514 Walnut Avenue
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
(541) 882-7228
December l_t_' 2007
Attorney
Native American Rights Fund
1506 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-8760
(303) 443-7776 (tax)