The Biden administration said its preliminary agreement with Canada signals on a 20-year treaty would include Canada giving up some of its claim on hydropower generation.

By JENNIFER YACHNIN
Jul 11, 2024

The United States would see an immediate bump in its energy capacity under a tentative Columbia River Treaty agreement, with Canada shrinking its claim to Pacific Northwest hydropower supplies, senior Biden administration officials said Thursday.

Beginning in August, Canada would reduce its share of hydropower produced on the Columbia River, boosting U.S. capacity by 600 megawatts and energy available for sale to consumers by 230 MW.

"These new terms will go a long way towards helping meet the growing demands for energy in the region, and avoid building unnecessary fossil fuel-based generation," said John Hairston, who serves as administrator and CEO of the Bonneville Power Administration.

The shift in energy availability is part of a "agreement in principle" announced Thursday by President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to modernize the 60-year old Columbia River Treaty, which governs both hydropower operations and flood risk management on the waterway.

Under the 1964 treaty, Canada had received half of the hydroelectric generation created by water stored in three facilities for the United States.

But beginning in August, Hairston said that Canada agreed to decrease its share, ultimately reducing its entitlement to 50 percent of its current take by 2033.

In exchange, Hairston said that transmission rights currently utilized by the Bonneville Power Administration would be turned over to Canada.

"This historic 20-year agreement provides substantial value to communities across the Basin," Hairston said. "It ensures both nations will continue to share in the benefits of the Columbia River Power System, which is vital to the economies and cultures of people both north and south of the border."

The agreement would also require the United States to operate with less pre-approved storage in Canada, reducing storage levels to 3.6 million acre-feet of water, although given recent drought conditions Biden administration officials asserted that storage would be sufficient.

A senior administration official, who spoke on background during a briefing arranged by the State Department, said the total contract is valued at $1.5 billion.

Negotiators will next draft the new treaty documents and engage Columbia River Basin residents for feedback, according to a news release from the British Columbia provincial government.

The Columbia River Treaty was established in 1964 in response to flooding that submerged the entire city of Vanport, Oregon, in 1948, as well as to address hydropower and agricultural irrigation needs in the Pacific Northwest.

According to statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Columbia River Basin is home to 29 Gigawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity.

A second senior administration officials said the agreement also includes provisions for Native Americans and Indigenous nations to form an organization "to make recommendations on ecosystem provisions and recommending the timing and quantity of flows for salmon."

But Joseph Bogaard of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition, who chairs the Columbia River Treaty NGO Caucus, raised concerns the agreement still leaves uncertainty about the basin's salmon and native fish populations.

“The health of the Columbia River must become an explicit purpose in a new, modernized Treaty,” Bogaard said. “The Columbia Basin is out of balance today. A modernized Treaty could become a tool for restoring balance and solving problems. Salmon advocates have serious concerns with this Agreement in Principle. It leaves a lot of uncertainty for the future of this historic river, its native fish populations and the many benefits they bring to our communities.”

Members of Congress praised the preliminary deal, while vowing to meet with local residents on as more details become available.

“The Columbia River Basin has far-reaching effects on my constituents and the Pacific Northwest. A modern Columbia River Treaty is essential to managing flood risks, ensuring a reliable supply of green energy and growing the regional economy," said Washington Democratic Rep. Rick Larsen. “I will be engaging with my constituents on the specifics of the updated treaty.”

Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray likewise said she remains "hopeful" the agreement benefits ratepayers, tribal nations, river users and the ecosystem alike.

"I pressed the administration to engage with Tribes and stakeholders in the Northwest as openly as possible throughout negotiations and continue to do so now through the drafting process — and as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will work with the administration and my colleagues to ensure Congress provides the necessary resources for the United States to meet its obligations," Murray said.

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