"US Plans To Focus on Environment in Columbia River Talks"

"WASHINGTON — After a long delay, the Obama administration has signaled that it’s ready to launch talks with Canada to renew the 51-year-old Columbia River Treaty, a controversial pact that created dams for electricity and flood control in the Pacific Northwest.

But there will be one big change from the negotiations that created the original 1964 treaty: This time, the United States plans a major push on environmental issues.

It’s a welcome development for leaders of conservation groups and Indian tribes who want the U.S. and Canada to join forces to tackle any damage caused by global warming on the 1,243-mile Columbia River."

Rob Hotakainen reports for the McClatchy Washington Bureau June 10, 2015.