Even as we continue to work with Canada to finalize text of treaty amendments to modernize the Columbia River Treaty regime, the United States and Canada implemented an initial set of interim measures to continue our stewardship of the Columbia River.
As President Biden announced in July, the United States and Canada reached agreement in principle on the key elements of a modernized Columbia River Treaty regime. Given the treaty amendments will take time to draft and enter into force in both countries, the United States and Canada agreed to implement interim measures covering relevant aspects of Columbia River coordination until such time as a modernized treaty regime enters into force.
The initial set of interim measures involve coordination to reduce the risk of flooding, share electrical power benefits, and transfer transmission rights, as follows:
Beginning on August 1, the Canadian Entitlement decreased by 37%.
Effective November 1, Canada’s Powerex assumed and will pay for 1,120 megawatts of transmission rights previously held by the United States’ Bonneville Power Administration to deliver the Canadian Entitlement.
From now through 2027, Canada will provide 3.6-million-acre feet of water storage at Arrow Lakes reservoir for flood risk management for the United States, upon election and compensation by the United States.
In addition to the above finalized measures, the United States and Canada continue working on a plan to store water in Canada to aid in salmon migration in 2025.
These interim measures reflect the goals of the Agreement in Principle announced in July, which serve to protect vulnerable communities from flooding, advance our clean energy goals, and improve the ecosystem that has sustained the people of the Pacific Northwest since time immemorial.
At the same time, the U.S. negotiation team continues to collaborate with Canada on final text of treaty amendments to make many of these interim measures more permanent. Once complete, we anticipate these amendments will go to the U.S. Senate for advice and consent.
The negotiating team, led by the Department, includes representatives from the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division; the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation; and the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The State Department is grateful to the U.S. tribes who have supported the negotiations through participation and consultation.