After Sustained Pressure from Tester, Biden Administration Announces Columbia River Treaty Renewal

Senator has long pushed White House to update the 1964 Columbia River Treaty; strengthen U.S. partnership with Canada

After sustained pressure from U.S. Senator Jon Tester, the Biden Administration today announced their commitment to modernizing the Columbia River Treaty. The proposal revises the longstanding treaty between the United States and Canada governing the management of the Columbia River Basin and its hydropower dams. The Columbia River flows through western Montana.

“From irrigating the fields that feed the world to producing the hydropower that powers our homes and small businesses, the Columbia River Basin plays a key role in boosting Montana’s local economies and keeping the lights on in communities across the country,” said Tester. “The Columbia River Treaty that’s been in place for sixty years was due for an update, so I’m glad to see that after years of negotiations and pressure on the Administration, we are taking an important step toward modernizing this important agreement. But we haven’t crossed the finish line yet, and as we work to finalize the terms, I will be working with Montanans to make sure the updated treaty serves folks on the Columbia River Basin and supports the vital industries that rely on it today and well into the future.”

The Columbia River Basin is responsible for generating 40% of U.S. hydropower, irrigating $8 billion in agriculture products, and moving 42 million tons of commercial cargo every year.

Senator Tester has long pushed for a renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty. Back in 2016, Tester urged President Obama to work with Canada to modernize the treaty, which was first established in 1964. Specifically, the Senator pushed the Administration to better protect watersheds threatened by Canadian resource development. 

Tester has also been the leading advocate to address selenium pollution in the Kootenai Watershed, which is a tributary of the Columbia River. In March, following a years-long effort from the Senator, the U.S. and Canada announced a Joint Reference to the International Joint Commission (IJC) instructing an Independent Governing Body to investigate pollution in the Kootenai Watershed caused by mining in Canada. The Senator first called on the State Department to tackle the transboundary water pollution in July of 2015, and officially requested that the State Department refer the issue to the IJC on November 14, 2023.

Tester has long advocated for a fix to halt the flow of pollution into American waters. In 2019 he joined a bipartisan group of colleagues in calling on Canadian officials to implement tougher regulations for rivers that originate in Canada and flow into the U.S., noting that communities in Northwest Montana depend on clean, healthy water to survive. As part of the 2024 Interior Appropriations Bill, Tester secured $2 million for the Department of Interior to monitor, manage, and coordinate with other agencies to reduce transboundary mining pollution in the Kootenai watershed. Senator Tester has consistently pushed multiple administrations for a referral to the IJC to resolve these issues, most recently in a letter to President Biden last year.