Canada and US Governments have reached a preliminary agreement to update the Columbia River Treaty

The Canadian and U.S. governments have announced that they have reached an agreement-in-principle to modernize the Columbia River Treaty, which governs the waterway that runs from southeastern British Columbia into Washington state.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a statement from Washington, D.C., described the deal as a significant milestone that will allow officials to update the treaty for continued flood-risk management and collaboration on hydropower along the river.

Trudeau also mentioned that the updated treaty will address aspects not included in the original agreement, such as ecosystem health and Indigenous cultural values.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the agreement follows extensive negotiations between the two governments, with input from the province and First Nations representatives.

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a separate statement, expressed his satisfaction with the agreement on the “key elements” of a modernized treaty and mentioned that negotiators will continue drafting an amendment for the treaty in the coming weeks.

Biden explained that the deal would help rebalance energy coordination between the two countries, enabling the U.S. to retain more hydroelectric power while giving Canada opportunities to both import and export power to the U.S. market.

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Biden noted that the agreement would give more prominent voice to Indigenous communities on both sides of the border and emphasized that the U.S. stands to benefit from storage at Canadian dams to manage flooding.

One of the critical components of the original treaty, signed in 1961, is due to expire in September, adding urgency to the ongoing negotiations.