In a just world, those that oppose power plants would be the first to lose power in a blackout. Those that oppose drilling for oil in ANWAR would pay more for gas than the rest of us. Those that oppose managing forests to minimize fire danger would be the only ones to have their houses burn in a wild fire. Those that oppose fighting the war on terror would be the only ones killed in the next terrorist attack.
Like or not, these people do drag us along into their hell.
The value of the dams locally are great. They provide power for twice the population of Siskiyou County. They provide premier white water rafting opportunities at the border. They provide a bass fishery. They provide a hatchery that feeds the commercial fishery. They provide $700,000 of tax base annually to the county. They provide lakes for people to live around.
Irrigated agriculture is our principal economy at $125 million annually in raw product which circulates another 5 times in the economy. Why should one area be economically destroyed so that people downstream can benefit.