The next negotiating session between the U.S. and Canada to update the Columbia River Treaty will be Oct. 12-13 in Portland.

It will be the 19th round of negotiations. The 18th round took place Aug. 10-11 in Seattle.

Brian Nichols, assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs for the U.S. Department of State, announced the upcoming round Sept. 16 on X, formerly Twitter, noting the treaty “entered into force” on that same day in 1964.

U.S. goals include:

• Maintaining access to predictable and adequate flood risk management space in Canadian reservoirs. In September 2024, the U.S. loses that access.

• Rebalancing the Canadian electricity entitlement, the power benefit the U.S. sends to Canada. The original agreement favored Canada, and U.S. negotiators say the imbalance has become greater over time.

• Improving coordination on ecosystem issues, including managing flows to support salmon migration through a long-term agreement instead of yearly renegotiations.

Chief U.S. negotiator Jill Smail had predicted in April that the negotiations could conclude by June.

https://www.state.gov/columbia-river-treaty/

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