For decades the Columbia River has benefited both the U.S. and Canada with little worry. Then Trump took office [View all]
Source: The Independent
Sunday 23 March 2025 09:59 EDT
A river that runs between the U.S. and Canada has now run itself right into the middle of the fight between the two allies. President Donald Trump’s administration has now stopped negotiations to re-up a decades-old U.S.-Canada treaty that controls the flow of the Columbia River between British Columbia after claiming it could play a role in solving California water shortages.
Last year, Biden’s administration reached a tentative three-year agreement with Canadian officials to renew the Columbia River Treaty, which governs flood control and hydropower sharing between the two countries. It was up to Trump’s administration to finalize the agreement, which could now be in jeopardy — but either nation must give ten years notice before abandoning the agreement`, The Guardian reported.
The pause comes as Trump wages a trade war against Canada, levying high tariffs against the country as Canadian officials respond in kind. Under the original 1964 treaty, Canadian officials agreed to build storage dams that hold back the water to reduce the threat of flooding. This followed a 1948 flood that devastated Vanport, Oregon. In return, American officials granted British Columbia a share of the value of hydroelectric power generated downstream.
The river is responsible for more than 40 percent of hydroelectric power in the U.S., Le Monde reports, and the treaty provides some $200 million to Canada each year. That could soon all be in jeopardy.
Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-canada-columbia-river-treaty-b2718233.html
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