U.S. and Canada strike deal to update 60-year-old Columbia River Treaty

WASHINGTON – The United States and Canada announced Thursday that they have reached an agreement in principle to modernize the Columbia River Treaty, a 60-year-old pact that governs how the two nations use the Columbia Basin’s water resources.

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, both in the U.S. capital for a summit of the NATO alliance, hailed the agreement, which would last for 20 years. It will be revised based on feedback in the coming weeks as the two countries draft an amendment to the treaty, which was ratified in 1961 and first implemented in 1964.

“After 60 years, the treaty needs updating to reflect our changing climate and the changing needs of the communities that depend on this vital waterway,” Biden said in a statement, adding that the updated treaty “will elevate U.S. Tribes’ and Canadian Indigenous Nations’ voices” and will “re-balance energy coordination between the United States and Canada.”

Under the current treaty, Canada is entitled to half of the hydropower generated by dams in the basin, which Canada largely sells to U.S. ratepayers. That has been a sticking point in negotiations, as the U.S. government has sought to reduce the so-called “Canadian entitlement” while the Canadian government has an incentive to protect their share of the river’s hydroelectric bounty.

John Hairston, administrator of the Bonneville Power Administration, which markets hydropower from dams in the basin, told reporters in a call Thursday that the Canadian entitlement will decrease under the new agreement to about 60% of its current level beginning in August. That share will decrease to less than half of its current level by 2033, he said, which would give the United States almost 600 megawatts of additional generating capacity.

“By laying out a plan for a 20-year period, this modernized treaty will bring greater certainty for BPA and its operations over the next two decades,” Hairston said. “These new terms will go a long way towards helping meet the growing demands for energy in the region and avoid building unnecessary fossil-fuels-based generation.”

In exchange for that reduction in power, transmission rights currently held by BPA would be transferred to Canada, Hairston said. The two countries would work together to develop a new power intertie north of Spokane to help Canada market its power to the United States.

Tribes and conservation groups have called for elevating environmental concerns, especially salmon and steelhead runs, including by expanding their ability to sue to protect the ecosystem.

“For more than 50 years, the Columbia River Treaty has played a crucial role in reducing flood damage and providing clean energy to millions of households, businesses and industries in both of our countries,” Trudeau said in a statement, adding that the agreement in principle “is the result of extensive engagement, notably with Indigenous and local communities, to ensure that all interests are heard, represented and addressed.”

Two Northwest senators who have also played key roles in the process, Democrat Maria Cantwell of Washington and Republican Jim Risch of Idaho, expressed support while reserving judgment until they see the draft treaty amendment, which is subject to congressional approval.

“There is no way to truly estimate the tremendous economic, environmental, and recreational value of the Columbia River to our state and region,” Cantwell said in a statement, calling the agreement “a positive step forward” while noting that “the region will need to review and weigh in on the details.”

Risch, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, noted that the agreement will need approval by the Senate.

“Today’s announcement of a preliminary agreement between the United States and Canada looks promising, but as always, I look forward to seeing all the details,” Risch said. “I also expect that a final agreement will be submitted by the president to the Senate for our review.”

Rachel Poynter, deputy assistant secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, described three pillars of the updated treaty: Protecting communities from flooding, advancing clean-energy goals through hydropower generation, plus “a vital and overdue emphasis on improving our ecosystems and collaboration with the region’s tribes and Indigenous nations.”

“Our negotiators have found common ground with Canada to continue the benefits the treaty has long provided with specific enhancements for the next 20 years,” Poynter told reporters in a call Thursday.

Michael Connor, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, told reporters that the flood risk management component of the agreement “will provide certainty in operations for the majority of years, something that would not have happened without a modernized treaty.”