Representatives from the U.S. and Canada will meet May 29-30 in Washington, D.C., to begin talks to update the Columbia River Treaty.
Ratified in 1964, the treaty controls the water flows on the Columbia River for flood control and power generation.
In a May 22 announcement about the upcoming talks, the U.S. State Department said the treaty has provided substantial benefits to millions of people in both countries and enabled additional benefits such as supporting the river's ecosystem, irrigation, municipal water use, industrial use, navigation and recreation. Modernizing the treaty will ensure these benefits continue for years to come, the department said.
Members of Congress from the Pacific Northwest have for years encouraged the U.S. and Canada to get together to work out a new agreement, which expires in 2024.
U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., who co-chair the bipartisan Northwest Energy Caucus, said that while the terms in the original treaty provided mutual benefits for both countries, the agreement today gives an unfair advantage to Canada.
Of particular concern to lawmakers from the region is doing away with the "Canadian Entitlement," under which the U.S. sends hydroelectric power benefits to Canada. This costs U.S. interests roughly $250 million to $350 million per year, according to a June 2017 letter lawmakers sent to President Donald Trump.
The State Department said its key objectives in the negotiations include continued, careful management of flood risk, ensuring a reliable and economical power supply, and better addressing ecosystem concerns.
Canada's objective in the negotiations is to ensure that the treaty continues to mutually benefit both countries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said May 22. Freeland said the Canadian government will also address environmental considerations and the interests of First Nations.
The U.S. negotiating team will be led by the State Department and will include the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division, the Interior Department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Army Corps operates several dams on the Columbia River, including the Bonneville dam, with an operating capacity of 1,087.4 MW, and the John Day dam, which has an operating capacity of 1,670 MW.
In Canada, the BC Hydro and Power Authority in March 2016 finished a 1,000-MW expansion at its 2,746-MW Mica dam project on the Columbia River and wants to add another 500 MW of generating capacity to its 2,480-MW Revelstoke dam, also on the river.
