Newhouse urges Trump to renegotiate Columbia River Treaty

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., is making the same request to President Donald Trump that he made to President Barack Obama last year — start renegotiating the Columbia River Treaty with Canada.

He and Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., led the request made in a letter to Trump. It was signed by seven Northwest representatives, including Cathy McMorris Rodgers. R-Wash..

“Managing the flow of the Columbia River and its tributaries governs our way of life in central Washington in many ways,” Newhouse said.

Renegotiating the treaty will have an impact on jobs, hydropower, water storage, flood control and the environment of the Pacific Northwest, he said.

His concerns include the “Canadian entitlement,” which requires hydropower benefits of up to $350 million to be paid to Canada annually by Northwest electricity users.

The treaty was established in 1964 to provide the framework for the United States and Canada to invest in water storage capabilities in the Columbia River Basin and to increase coordination of flood control and electric generation to benefit both countries.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Newhouse urges Trump to renegotiate Columbia River Treaty."