DAM IT! The Left Coast’s $600M Fish-Killing Grift

NGOs and connected insiders have made a small fortune on “green” initiatives. As dam removal projects fail to deliver on the restorative promises of west coast governors, devastated agricultural communities are beginning to follow the green trail and ask,  “Cui Bono?”

In a scathing critique, a video posted by @americaunwon on X (see below) exposes the disastrous aftermath of the Klamath Dam removals, labeling it a “catastrophe” for both fish populations and local communities. 

The video, criticizing the removal of four dams along the Klamath River—the largest such project in U.S. history—addresses how an “ungodly amount” of sediment unleashed decimated fish habitats, and a rural agricultural economy while undermining the stated goal of restoring the river’s ecosystem.

Siskiyou County, California resident and farmer, Theodora Johnson, accuses environmental NGOs like American Rivers and government entities of hypocrisy, after decades of shutting down timber and mining operations due to fears of sediment release. Johnson argues that regulations, intended to protect fish and wildlife, destroyed rural economies, while releasing an estimated 16.8 million tons of sediment, silt, clay, and heavy metals such as aluminum, chromium, and lead—killing off fish populations for decades to come. 

“Even if you’re a person who agreed that it was cool to destroy people’s livelihoods and homes, because it was going to save a bunch of fish, you need to know, they didn’t save any fish. They just destroyed a bunch of fish and their habitat for decades to come,” Johnson asserts, frustrated with the one-sided reporting of the issue. 

Over a decade after the Elwha Dam was removed – the claimed picture of success – fish populations have still not returned to pre dam removal levels after the sudden sediment release of 20 million tons resulted in a mass fish kill. Now blamed on climate change, experts have quietly acknowledged that it could be decades longer before salmonid populations return to pre-removal numbers—stressing a need for increased funding. 

Cui Bono? Only DOGE Knows…

So, if the public isn’t benefiting, who really benefits from these taxpayer funded projects?

Biden’s Green Gravy Train

The KRRC, a 501(c)(3) front formed under the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA), was backed by a who’s-who of green NGOs: American Rivers, California Trout, Klamath Riverkeeper, Northern California Council–Federation of Fly Fishers, Salmon River Restoration Council, Sustainable Northwest, Trout Unlimited, and the Institute for Fisheries Resources. 

Not long after KRRC was appointed to oversee the dam removal, the board came under scrutiny for ties to the very environmental groups pushing for the project. 

While the project itself was funded by $215 million from PacifiCorp ratepayers, $265 million from California’s Proposition 1, $15 million from Oregon taxpayers, and $50–$100 million from Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Biden’s Department of Interior shoveled out another “landmark” $72 million. 

According to the Department of the Interior’s BIL allocations for Klamath Basin restoration, the NGOs represented by board members received direct cash infusions upwards of $10 million in grants as “sub contractors.”

Thanks to DOGE, and X user @DataRepublican we also know that $65,558,108.23 were allocated to these same NGOs, states and tribes for “Klamath River Basin” projects, while exposing insanely high salaries—as reported by Laura Loomer.

EXCLUSIVE:

High Salaries Exceeding $1.2 MILLION PER YEAR at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Amidst Federal Funding Waste Scandals EXPOSED

Through my investigation into the financial dealings of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), established… pic.twitter.com/QV98UnPhjF

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) February 11, 2025

Progressivism: Wash – Rinse – Repeat

Decades after FDR’s progressive New Deal, state and federal regulations prevent the dams – built with America’s tax dollars- from operating at full capacity today. Even after being regulated out of usefulness, more progressive Green New Deal initiatives – slated to replace America’s infrastructure – are being shut down by the same environmental groups. 

Following Ivanpah Solar Plant’s $2.2 billion flop, Oregon’s 2.4 GW offshore wind farms off Coos Bay and Brookings threaten a repeat. 

While critics argue that green projects are steeped in taxpayer subsidized disasters, it’s not fish, but rural communities and family farms that are being displaced by these disasters.

Dam removals are being planned across the West. But no one wants to talk about what’s happening at the Klamath River… pic.twitter.com/ynb1ko1YrR

— UNWON | Keely Covello (@americaunwon) June 10, 2025

Keely Covello, of AmericaUnWon, warns that similar dam removal projects are being planned all across the West. Echoing concerns that junk science, and misinformation have fueled political agendas, Covello urges immediate reevaluation, as farming communities wait to learn if the Big Beautiful Bill will save them from the economic, environmental and regulatory oppression of Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.