Urge the Biden Administration to work with Northwest people and Tribes to modernize the Columbia River Treaty!

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Urge the Biden Administration to work with Northwest people to modernize the Columbia River Treaty!

The U.S. has been negotiating with Canada to update, or ‘modernize’, the 1964 Columbia River Treaty for more than four years. It is essential that the ‘health of the river,’ Tribal rights, and public participation are top priorities during these negotiations, especially given the intensifying impacts of climate change.

Salmon, other river-dependent wildlife, and Basin communities are struggling today. It’s crucial that we add 'Ecosystem Function' as a new primary purpose in a modernized Columbia River Treaty, so that we can ensure river flows across the watershed are coordinated to improve river health. And the federal government needs to work more closely with the basin's Tribes to ensure their sovereignty is respected and expertise is honored.

The U.S. State Department must prioritize informing and engaging Northwest people. After almost twenty negotiating sessions, the region's people - those most affected by Treaty policies - have still heard relatively little from federal agencies about the status of the talks and options being considered.

Time is running out. In less than two years - the blink of an eye for negotiating an international treaty - primary responsibility for flood risk management will shift from Canada to the U.S. under the terms of the current treaty. Unless the two countries reach a new agreement first, this abrupt shift could force significant operational changes at eight major dams across the Columbia Basin in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Is there a plan in case the two countries don’t reach a new agreement in time? Or will federal dam agencies make rushed decisions that increase the challenges for the watershed’s water management priorities, ecosystems, and fish and wildlife?

ACT NOW: Please speak up today for a healthier, more resilient Columbia River that can support abundant fish and wildlife populations and sustain vibrant communities. Write the Biden Administration and your members of Congress today - ask them to engage Northwest people in decision making to modernize the Columbia River Treaty.

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Contact your elected officials today! “Salmon, orca and communities need your leadership!”

The Biden Administration and Northwest Senators

Subject: The Northwest urgently needs a modernized Columbia River Treaty that prioritizes the 'health of the river'!

Message:

Last summer’s intense heat, following the prior summer’s record-breaking heat dome, is another grim reminder that we urgently need to make big changes in the Northwest if we hope to sustain vibrant communities and resilient ecosystems increasingly impacted by a changing climate. Updating - or ‘modernizing’ - the U.S.-Canada Columbia River Treaty is one essential component of the broader transformation we need. I am writing to express strong support for adding ‘Ecosystem Function’ - the health of the river and its fish and wildlife - as a third, co-equal purpose to the Columbia River Treaty. It is essential that the U.S. and Canada improve their coordinated dam operations so that the people, communities, and fish and wildlife who depend on a healthy, resilient river can thrive and prosper. We must also reform Treaty governance. Columbia Basin Tribes - our region’s first stewards - were not consulted on the design of the original Treaty, nor have they been involved in its implementation across nearly six decades. This must change. I support the Tribes' calls for the Biden Administration to include them in current negotiations and implementation moving forward, similarly to how Canada is partnering with Indigenous Nations north of the border. Additionally, we need to ensure that ecological experts help to inform dam operations more holistically. Without an updated Treaty, less than two years remain for internationally coordinated flood risk management. I am very concerned about the potential end of this system, and the uncertainty and disruption it could bring to many Northwest communities and long-established programs for fish and wildlife. There is much at stake for Tribes, other communities and fish and wildlife populations in the Basin and across the Northwest. Despite this, our region’s citizens - the people most impacted, have very little understanding about the federal government’s priorities and options under consideration. While still respecting the confidentiality of negotiations, the Biden Administration must show greater transparency moving forward. We need federal agencies to engage the public with education and meaningful dialogue about possibilities for our future. Canada’s practices have shown it is possible to respect the confidentiality of talks while also facilitating robust public engagement. Please do all you can to ensure that: - ‘Ecosystem Function’ is added as a primary purpose to a new, modernized Treaty; - Negotiations conclude before Sept. 2024 to minimize the uncertainty and disruption of an abrupt shift in flood risk management; - Columbia Basin Tribes are included as partners in Treaty negotiation, governance, and implementation moving forward, and; - The Biden Administration engage Northwest people to support our understanding of the decisions being considered and solicit input. I look forward to hearing from you on this crucial matter. Sincerely,

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