April 28, 2017 Berkeley, California USA

Transcription

1 The Columbia River Treaty: A Conversation April 28, 2017 Berkeley, California USA Elliott Smith, MA Canadian Studies Program University of California, Berkeley

2 American Narrative 1948: Vanport City, Oregon Floods Photo Courtesy Oregon Historical Society

3 American Narrative 1964: United States and Canada Ratify Columbia River Treaty Photo Courtesy Center for Environmental Law & Policy

4 Oregon s Second Largest City Not True. Eugene was

5 Vanport Narrative: Incomplete. Not False

6 Lower Granite

7 <- North Idaho USA British Columbia Canada Washington USA Oregon USA

8 Eisenhower Records (Abilene, KS) Two primary stated goals: HYDROELECTRICITY FLOOD CONTROL Conventional Wisdom: Nobody cared about salmon back then (False) Not STATED in Treaty or negotiations (True) New American Evidence Salmon were part of American motive.

9 Canadian under-compensation Canada compensated for flood control benefits, prepaid for 60 years 30 years electricity prepaid WAY underpaid

10 What about the environment? Treaty says NOTHING. Conventional Scholarly Wisdom: Treaty was product of Modernist era Nobody cared about the environment Nobody cared about salmon. Salmon not mentioned in negotiations New Research with primary sources Shows USA had misguided environmental motive

11 The Research

12 The Research Canadian National Archives Ottawa, ON Canada

13 The Research Simon Fraser University Archives Burnaby, BC Canada Papers of BC Premier W.A.C. Bennett. Columbia River Treaty? Oh yeah, we get requests for that all the time. Guys from BC Hydro are always in here.

14 The Research Eisenhower Library Abilene, Kansas Declassified State Department records Internal memos, correspondence between State and Interior Nobody s ever asked to see this

15 Two Countries, Two Public Information Rubrics Canadian laws more restrictive Privacy Emphasis American laws more conducive to research Reverse onus Declassification in many cases is automatic unless originating agency proves need for restriction Yet Canadian records read over and over while US records gathered dust.

16 Declassified American Records Salmon preservation was a significant American motive! Post-WWII, Upstream Storage Needed Two options for the USA Snake or Columbia Two options for Canada Fraser or Columbia One salmon-neutral option: Columbia (or so they thought)

17 Grand Coulee Dam End of the line

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19 American Options Snake sites still home to salmon runs Upper Columbia? Not so.

20 Canadian Options: The MacNaughton Plan Columbia Fraser Diversion Fraser River Hydropower Would have harmed Bi-National Salmon Fishery Including AMERICAN Salmon How?

21 Fraser Fishery is Bi-National

22 Fraser Fishery is Bi-National Canada USA

23 Fraser / Columbia / Snake (You Can t even get a good MAP)

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27 What did the USA REALLY Want? Officially, increased upstream storage for flood control and hydropower generation That has been the story heretofore Eisenhower Records show two previously un-discussed motives: Salmon-neutral hydropower and TIME. Time for better salmon mitigation technology to develop, AND time for nuclear

28 Ike on Salmon & the Treaty The large block of flood control storage and power that will be realized over the next decade as a result of this cooperative undertaking affords us a greater degree of selectivity in the planning and timing of potential domestic projects in order to take into fullest consideration conservation as well as purely economic needs. Sorely needed time will be gained which can be devoted to the research and study which must go into the solution of the problem, particilarly pressing today in our Northwest states, of harmonizing construction of large storage dams with fish and wildlife needs. Eisenhower 1960

29 Buying Time for Salmon Due to the location of this proposed storage, there will be no interference with the cycle for salmon and other anadromous fish, which constitute such an important economic and recreational asset to the people of the Pacific Northwest. State Department 1960 President Eisenhower and Interior Under-Secretary Elmer Bennett say the power potential of the Columbia will provide sufficient hydropower for the Northwest for years to come. So, the argument goes, projects on the Snake, affecting the salmon spawning grounds, can be deferred until a surer method of handling the fish can be found. Engineering News Record, 1960.

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31 The Columbia River Treaty: A Temporary Solution (?) Nuclear Power expected to come online as main source of FIRM power. Hydro would remain for PEAKING power. Too Cheap to Meter WPPSS

32 Today Columbia/Snake Basin hydro remains chief regional power source. Installed Nameplate Capacity 26,000 MW 1 Nuclear Plant in WA 1,150 MW Treaty renewal in progress Columbia River Surplus power sent to California. Grand Coulee BEFORE Treaty Grand Coulee AFTER Treaty

33 It did not work out well for rural BC

34 Conclusion