Talks to Revise the Columbia River Treaty to Begin Today
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Talks are scheduled to begin Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to modernize the document that coordinates flood control and hydropower generation in the U.S. and Canada along the Columbia River. Northwest politicians have been pushing for years to renegotiate the Columbia River Treaty between the two countries. The lawmakers are particularly keen to eliminate a so-called "Canadian Entitlement" they contend is too favorable to Canada. The State Department announced last week that talks to revise the 1964 treaty would be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. Environmental groups and Native American tribes contend the treaty doesn't do enough to help endangered salmon runs. Washington state's congressional delegation in 2014 began urging the federal government to renegotiate the treaty, which expires in 2024.