Washington, D.C. – Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) released the following statement in response to the announcement that an agreement in principle has been reached between the United States and Canada on the Columbia River Treaty. 

“I am encouraged to hear that a preliminary agreement has been reached to finally modernize the Columbia River Treaty and provide some much-needed certainty to the people of our region. I look forward to closely reviewing the details, which I hope will result in the best deal possible for our energy, flood control, navigation, and irrigation interests. We still have a ways to go in this process, so I urge the administration and all parties involved to continue working with stakeholders in Washington state to ensure these needs are met as details are finalized. I look forward to reaching a positive conclusion to this challenging process that has been many years in the making.”  

BACKGROUND:

The Columbia River Treaty, first negotiated in 1964, set up a flood control and power-sharing agreement between the United States and Canada. While the terms laid out in the original treaty provided mutual benefits for both nations, the deal has notoriously given an unfair advantage to Canada, forcing consumers in the Pacific Northwest to pay Canada for downstream power benefits. Cathy has been very active through the years in encouraging the White House and State Department to modernize the treaty that is slated to expire in September of this year.

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