Columbia River Treaty Talks Start Tuesday

Negotiations to update the Columbia River Treaty get underway in Washington D.C. Tuesday.  The pact between the U.S and Canada has not be updated since it was ratified in 1964.  Representative Dan Newhouse said he's happy to see negotiations finally get started.  He started asking for these talks in June 2017.

Newhouse says the CRT allows for river management solutions, providing new opportunities for cooperation on clean energy solutions, flood control, and economic growth.

This is very, very important.  It's a critical treaty that getting started is long overdue, and I really do applaud  the Trump Administration for getting this going, getting this renegotiation kick started because of the impact that it has on all of us in the Pacific Northwest."

Could on-going NAFTA negotiations, and issues in that arena impact Columbia River Treaty talks? Newhouse doesn't think so, he says all three members of NAFTA are good neighbors and good partners.

"We've got a long history of good relationships, all three countries.  Do we have our disagreements?  Absolutely, like any neighbor do, but I don't really see a big impact on whether there's movement one way or another in NAFTA and the Columbia River Treaty, at least at this point."

The CRT talks are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.​