Conclusion of the Seventh Round of Negotiations to Modernize the Columbia River Treaty Regime
The United States and Canada held the seventh round of negotiations to modernize the Columbia River Treaty regime June 19–20, in Washington, D.C. U.S. and Canadian negotiators took stock of progress made since negotiations commenced in May 2018 and identified potential paths toward further progress. The negotiating teams discussed issues related to flood risk management, hydropower, and adaptive management. U.S. negotiators continued to use the U.S. Entity Regional Recommendation for the Future of the Columbia River Treaty after 2024 as a guide during the negotiations.
The Department of State leads a U.S. negotiating team comprised of representatives from the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division, the Department of the Interior, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The next round of negotiations will take place September 10–11, in Cranbrook, British Columbia.
The U.S. negotiating team is holding regular Town Hall meetings throughout the Columbia River Basin to hear from the U.S. public on the modernization of the Columbia River Treaty regime. The U.S. negotiating team considers the input and views from the region’s states, Tribes, and stakeholders who live and work in the Columbia River Basin. The last Town Hall took place March 20, 2019, in Kalispell, Montana. The next Town Hall will take place July 18 in Boise, Idaho.
For more information on the Treaty and upcoming Town Halls, please visit: https://www.state.gov/p/wha/ci/ca/topics/c78892.htm
