Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 12.9.15

NEWS
State Department Mulls Columbia River Treaty Recommendation Two years after recommendations, federal o cials hope to negotiate with Canadian government
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
Two years after the U.S. State Department rst reviewed recommendations to change a vital water treaty with Canada, federal o cials say they are hope- ful negotiations will begin in the coming months.
The Columbia River Treaty was rst signed in 1964 and governs the operations of dams and reservoirs in one of North America’s largest river systems.
The treaty between the U.S. and Canada resulted in the construction of four large dams – three in Brit- ish Columbia and one in the Montana, the Libby Dam – in an e ort to prevent devastating oods and gener- ate hydro-electricity. Prior to the construction of the dams, spring oods frequently devastated the region, most notably a 1948 ood in Vanport, Oregon that killed more than 30 people.
The treaty has no expiration date, but either coun- try can cancel it or suggest changes beginning in 2024,
as long as they give a 10-year notice. A few years ago, water regulators and interested shareholders on both sides of the border began discussing potential changes they would like to make to the treaty. In late 2013, those changes were submitted to the State Department, which would lead any negotiations with Canada.
Since then, the State Department has reviewed sug- gestions from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bonneville Power Administration, and shareholders in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Among the primary goals outlined by regulators is to continue to generate electricity and provide ood con- trol. However, o cials also hope to add additional envi- ronmental protections to the treaty.
American regulators also hope to change how Can- ada is paid for water storage. The 1964 treaty called for a one-time payment equal to half of the downstream power generated in the United States for 30 years. That payment of $254 million worth of electricity helped
Canada build its three treaty dams. That part of the agreement expired in 2003 and since then the United States has delivered a daily allotment of power to Can- ada, worth $222 million to $359 million annually, known as the Canadian Entitlement. American o cials believe that is too steep a price to pay moving forward.
In a statement to the Beacon, a State Department o cial said the agency was continuing to meet with stakeholders across the Paci c Northwest, including Indian tribes, in an e ort to ensure that everyone’s con- cerns are taken into account.
“The State Department is now discussing how to transition those deliberations, which include the Regional Recommendation, into a process that allows us to formally engage with the Canadian government,” a State Department spokesperson said.
There is no xed timeline for when negotiations will
Glacier Park Breaks Visitation Record Again The National Park Service is on pace to break its overall visitation record this year
take place.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
BY BEACON STAFF
The popularity of Glacier National Park continues to soar to record levels.
The Crown Jewel of the Continent has attracted more visitors than ever this year with an estimated 2.35 mil- lion people through November, according to National Park Service statistics.
The visitor tally surpasses last year’s record total of 2.33 million.
As of last month, year-to-date visitation was up 1.7 percent over 2014. November’s visitation increased 24 percent over the previous year.
June boasted unseasonably warm weather and set a new record for the month with over 414,000 people. On June 11, the park celebrated its 100 millionth visitor.
This year marks the eighth time in 12 years that over 2 million people have visited Glacier Park. Only ve other years prior to 2004 saw that many people in the park, according to NPS data.
Going-to-the-Sun Road shuttle at Logan Pass. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
The National Park Service is on pace to break its over- all visitation record this year, the agency said. More peo- ple have visited NPS sites in the rst 10 months of the year than ever before. The NPS Public Use Statistics O ce estimated 272.5 million recreation visits to the
parks through October. That compares to 262.7 million visits in the same period of 2014, an increase of 3.7 per- cent, which will mean 300 million visitors in 2015.
“With every visit to national parks, people write themselves a prescription for the health bene ts that come when enjoying these natural and historical won- ders,” stated NPS Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “Amer- icans have loved the national parks for a century and more. Our aim now is to help the next generation become not only visitors but park supporters and advocates, too.”
Next year is the NPS centennial. The centennial is expected to extend the visitation surge, bringing even more people to America’s parks.
By the end of October, the world’s rst national park, Yellowstone in Wyoming and Montana, had smashed its previous annual high (2010) with more than 4 million visits, which represents a 17 percent increase over last year’s visitation to date.
news@ atheadbeacon.com
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