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Amaryllis

(11,425 posts)
Sun May 17, 2026, 08:31 PM 19 hrs ago

Trump Canceled Canada's 61-Year Old Colulmbia River Water Treaty -- 40% of U.S. Hydropower at Risk



Donald Trump just walked away from a 61-year-old treaty that quietly powers nearly 40 percent of America's hydroelectricity. And the man on the other side of the table, Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney, isn't blinking. He isn't calling. He isn't asking for a do-over. He's letting Washington sit with the consequences. Because what most Americans still don't understand is that the water keeping the lights on across Oregon, Washington State, Idaho, and parts of California doesn't actually start in the United States. It starts in the mountains of British Columbia. And right now, the country that controls those mountains has decided it's done being polite.
60 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Trump Canceled Canada's 61-Year Old Colulmbia River Water Treaty -- 40% of U.S. Hydropower at Risk (Original Post) Amaryllis 19 hrs ago OP
Trump sure showed 'em, didn't he? B.See 19 hrs ago #1
This is from June of last year. Grins 16 hrs ago #32
Does that make it any less relevant? B.See 15 hrs ago #39
try this one KT2000 1 hr ago #52
Yup! MarcoZandrini 1 hr ago #53
Dump always fucks things up sakabatou 19 hrs ago #2
Because he never has, nor had, to pay for them. Justice matters. 19 hrs ago #3
That'll show them! (Trump planning to hurt the US and Canadians) erronis 19 hrs ago #4
The Art of the DUNCE,... magicarpet 19 hrs ago #5
Good on PM Mark Carney! Cha 18 hrs ago #6
It might be what Trump wants since it hurts wnylib 18 hrs ago #11
Yes, so is there any recourse for Cha 18 hrs ago #16
I don't know what recourse they have but t I am sure wnylib 17 hrs ago #20
Ohh, I hope so much for Cha 17 hrs ago #23
I think the river basin includes Washington and Oregon and damns in BC prevent flooding in those areas Bev54 17 hrs ago #24
Wow, you know a lot about it, Bev. Cha 17 hrs ago #29
I used to live in the area of BC that the Columbia River flowed. Bev54 16 hrs ago #37
Maybe a big boom in wind, solar, and tidal energy production? Attilatheblond 1 hr ago #57
Stupid is as stupid does. surfered 18 hrs ago #7
He did it because the PNW angrychair 18 hrs ago #8
That's what I'm thinking. wnylib 18 hrs ago #12
Yes again... forget my quesion in Cha 18 hrs ago #19
Hope they will be ok. wnylib 17 hrs ago #21
Mahalo, wnylib! Gov Kotek, Cha 17 hrs ago #25
THose three have top notch AGs as well. Amaryllis 16 hrs ago #31
That's good to know. wnylib 15 hrs ago #38
If it's not oil or coal, he doesn't care JoseBalow 18 hrs ago #9
3 Out Of 4 Coolgoober 18 hrs ago #10
The man is a... GiqueCee 18 hrs ago #15
Amen BonnieJW 18 hrs ago #18
Corporations are the nucleus popsdenver 42 sec ago #60
Is this just the Pacific states being affected? What about the Midwest (Manitoba Hydro) and the Northeast? progree 18 hrs ago #13
so we just accept that he can tear up a treaty? mopinko 18 hrs ago #14
No electricity? BidenRocks 18 hrs ago #17
I am damn sick and tired of Republicans allowing Trump using our tax money for his revenge Stargazer99 17 hrs ago #22
I am so sick of Trump. He is nothing but pure evil. mommymarine2003 17 hrs ago #26
Wishing a S.S. agent "Comes to Jesus". Does the right thing. dave99 17 hrs ago #27
Duck just in time? Hug Felon47 while self-immolating? Ilsa 3 hrs ago #46
omg i sincerely hope we dont turn the lights for those people dawn5651 17 hrs ago #28
THIS peso is an aggressive cancer on our country vapor2 17 hrs ago #30
This is clickbait Boo1 16 hrs ago #33
Oh yeah, Coolgoober 16 hrs ago #35
Clickbait Boo1 6 hrs ago #41
Post removed Post removed 4 hrs ago #43
Quite a bit of wiggle room between the two extremes Torchlight 1 hr ago #54
"Because Governor Newscum REFUSED to TURN ON THE FAUCET! Big beautiful..... ColoringFool 16 hrs ago #34
When I google this it says false. Is this even true? Melon 16 hrs ago #36
More Americans lose out because Trump just has to be an asshole. Trump probably did that to force those states to build ChicagoTeamster 6 hrs ago #40
Will Succeed for Electricity! Punx 5 hrs ago #42
Canada, please adopt us in the West Coast states. Please!!!! OMGWTF 4 hrs ago #44
It's so much fun to be ruled by a stupid asshole! Martin68 4 hrs ago #45
Actually a significant part of the Columbia river begins in Western Montana and flows North into and then out of Canada. Ford_Prefect 2 hrs ago #47
This is AI slop Simeon Salus 2 hrs ago #48
This one provides KT2000 1 hr ago #51
This message was self-deleted by its author mgardener 2 hrs ago #49
Here is a better explanation KT2000 1 hr ago #50
So I guess treaties don't have to be approved by the Senate anymore. That part of the Constitution gone Walleye 1 hr ago #55
Beginning to think Trump, billionaires, GOP pols don't want regular people to have electricity. Attilatheblond 1 hr ago #56
Ridiculous clickbait Cirsium 40 min ago #58
His goal is to kill America and Americans. SupportSanity 33 min ago #59

Grins

(9,519 posts)
32. This is from June of last year.
Sun May 17, 2026, 11:23 PM
16 hrs ago

It really bothers me when posters put this up as current events.

B.See

(8,846 posts)
39. Does that make it any less relevant?
Mon May 18, 2026, 01:09 AM
15 hrs ago

Because maybe it's news to some.

So do we ignore the s--- that Trump has done because it's old news?

erronis

(24,515 posts)
4. That'll show them! (Trump planning to hurt the US and Canadians)
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:02 PM
19 hrs ago

He's just following orders (or the implants in his shrinking amygdala.)

Cha

(320,534 posts)
6. Good on PM Mark Carney!
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:12 PM
18 hrs ago

I admire him so much!

Is that going to hurt Washington, Oregon, and parts of California?

Which is what PDO would want.

Cha

(320,534 posts)
16. Yes, so is there any recourse for
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:03 PM
18 hrs ago

those 3 Blue States?

TY, wnylib.. I know nothing about this. But I am Concerned for the People there.

wnylib

(26,452 posts)
20. I don't know what recourse they have but t I am sure
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:20 PM
17 hrs ago

that Newsom will be right on it immediately. The governors might file an emergency petition to hold back the treaty cancelation.

Newsome's reaction.might make him an even stronger Dem leader. He might make Trump wish that he had not poked that hornet's nest. I sure hope so.

Cha

(320,534 posts)
23. Ohh, I hope so much for
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:28 PM
17 hrs ago

Anything happening that wishes PEDO had NOT "Poked the Hornet's Nest"!

TY!

Bev54

(13,517 posts)
24. I think the river basin includes Washington and Oregon and damns in BC prevent flooding in those areas
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:33 PM
17 hrs ago

and there is a damn in Montana that it affects as well. When it comes to electricity it also affects California, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. It takes 10 years to get out of the agreement and while there was a renewal agreement last year, Trump has paused it. I do know in BC they are not playing with Trump because if he did rip up the agreement it would be the US mostly affected, the electricity from BC could be re-directed to Alberta which would help Carney's plan to electrify Canada on a full grid. The renewal is only on pause right now.

Cha

(320,534 posts)
29. Wow, you know a lot about it, Bev.
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:56 PM
17 hrs ago

Thank you for explaining that. Good information.

Those Red states should want to fight it, too.

Attilatheblond

(9,223 posts)
57. Maybe a big boom in wind, solar, and tidal energy production?
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:06 PM
1 hr ago

If power companies were smart, they would be all over the alternatives like bears on honey.

angrychair

(12,501 posts)
8. He did it because the PNW
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:28 PM
18 hrs ago

is heavily Democratic and this is just revenge. Well, I guess we will just be sitting around in the dark here

wnylib

(26,452 posts)
12. That's what I'm thinking.
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:57 PM
18 hrs ago

The governors of those states should get together for a solution. Probably will file suits.

Cha

(320,534 posts)
19. Yes again... forget my quesion in
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:11 PM
18 hrs ago

previous post. The Govs will have to figure it out.

💔💙 ☮️

My daughter and family live in Oregon, and my grandson and wife live in Seattle.. and friends in CA. And, just everybody.

JoseBalow

(9,735 posts)
9. If it's not oil or coal, he doesn't care
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:31 PM
18 hrs ago

He only cares about what takes care of him, and that ain't Big Hydro.

Coolgoober

(398 posts)
10. 3 Out Of 4
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:41 PM
18 hrs ago

Are blue states so he doesn't care. He'd rather hurt Canada than help Americans. He'll watch all those states suffer and not give it another thought. Cruelty is the purpose!

GiqueCee

(4,731 posts)
15. The man is a...
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:01 PM
18 hrs ago

... certifiable psychopath. Republicans are too corrupt and chicken shit to do anything about it. May his days end soon.

popsdenver

(2,623 posts)
60. Corporations are the nucleus
Mon May 18, 2026, 04:10 PM
43 sec ago

of all this and they are loving the shit out of everything Trump/Republicans are doing.......

progree

(13,075 posts)
13. Is this just the Pacific states being affected? What about the Midwest (Manitoba Hydro) and the Northeast?
Sun May 17, 2026, 09:59 PM
18 hrs ago

We're quite dependent in Minnesota on Manitoba Hydro's electricity. And I understand so are the northeastern states heavily reliant on Ontario Hydro, Quebec and others (I admit I only watched the first 2 1/2 minutes of the video). Asking for a friend.

Stargazer99

(3,563 posts)
22. I am damn sick and tired of Republicans allowing Trump using our tax money for his revenge
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:24 PM
17 hrs ago

what in the hell is the matter with you Republican idiots? Would you like the reverse done to you? It just shows that your party is not mature enough to take care of this nation by letting a spoiled brat have his temper tantrum and if the Demos get in power again you have set the situation to be used on you...this country will die and you will be responsible

mommymarine2003

(365 posts)
26. I am so sick of Trump. He is nothing but pure evil.
Sun May 17, 2026, 10:49 PM
17 hrs ago

I live in Oregon but am a transplanted Washingtonian. I see the Columbia Gorge from my house. The Columbia River is just a couple miles away. The Columbia River is the lifeblood of Washington and Oregon. Trump is too stupid to know that the river begins in Canada, and we needed the treaty to deal with flooding.

Ilsa

(64,565 posts)
46. Duck just in time? Hug Felon47 while self-immolating?
Mon May 18, 2026, 12:15 PM
3 hrs ago

Feed him chocolate and cheeseburgers until he strains so hard he has a brain aneurysm?

After the breaking news is announced, I'd prefer to hear "No Secret Service agents were harmed in the making of this international imperative."

vapor2

(4,901 posts)
30. THIS peso is an aggressive cancer on our country
Sun May 17, 2026, 11:01 PM
17 hrs ago

So sick of the lack of ANY accountability and the do nothing repugs

Boo1

(454 posts)
33. This is clickbait
Sun May 17, 2026, 11:24 PM
16 hrs ago

like a lot of Youtube political shit is.

It takes 10 years notification to exit.

Response to Boo1 (Reply #41)

Torchlight

(7,050 posts)
54. Quite a bit of wiggle room between the two extremes
Mon May 18, 2026, 02:52 PM
1 hr ago

but I get it... sometimes nothing else suits the narrative.

ColoringFool

(1,071 posts)
34. "Because Governor Newscum REFUSED to TURN ON THE FAUCET! Big beautiful.....
Sun May 17, 2026, 11:34 PM
16 hrs ago

WATER could have been FLOWING DOWN THE COAST so all those slow toilets 10 flushes they need 10 flushes and all those drippy little showers and I LIKE MY SHOWERS could WORK!!!

NOW WATCH as the once great state of California ruined by Democrat ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE gets lots of forest fires again, they still refuse to RAKE THE FORESTS to prevent fires, you know that, right? Fires so nasty and vicious. I think forest fires are Liberals!!!

TURN THE SPIGOTS ON, GOVERNOR NEWSCUM!!

Thank you for your attention to this matter."

ChicagoTeamster

(1,262 posts)
40. More Americans lose out because Trump just has to be an asshole. Trump probably did that to force those states to build
Mon May 18, 2026, 09:51 AM
6 hrs ago

coal fired electrical power plants.

Ford_Prefect

(8,664 posts)
47. Actually a significant part of the Columbia river begins in Western Montana and flows North into and then out of Canada.
Mon May 18, 2026, 01:30 PM
2 hrs ago

So like it or not the water feeding that basin and EVERYONE who thus benefits from it belongs to BOTH countries and cannot be diverted regardless of Stupid, Ignorant, Greedy, and apparently Mindless Donald, his creepy family and his corrupt enablers.

Response to Amaryllis (Original post)

Walleye

(45,410 posts)
55. So I guess treaties don't have to be approved by the Senate anymore. That part of the Constitution gone
Mon May 18, 2026, 02:53 PM
1 hr ago

Attilatheblond

(9,223 posts)
56. Beginning to think Trump, billionaires, GOP pols don't want regular people to have electricity.
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:03 PM
1 hr ago

No electricity means no news and no communication. That seems likely to be the Oligarchs and crooks' wet dream at this point.

Cirsium

(4,108 posts)
58. Ridiculous clickbait
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:31 PM
40 min ago

The title for the video is itself a lie. "Trump Canceled Canada's 61-Year Water Treaty — 40% of U.S. Hydropower at Risk!" No, he did not. Donald Trump did not "just walk away from a 61-year-old treaty that quietly powers nearly 40 percent of America's hydroelectricity." The treaty is still in effect. 40% of U.S. hydropower is not at risk, unless Canada turned off that imaginary faucet they have. You know, the one that Trump talks about. Absolutely absurd.

The entire opening of the video is completely irrelevant nonsense. The video is supposedly about the Columbia River. The reporters are talking about water quality in the Great Lakes. At one point, the narrator is talking about the massive amount of tonnage that goes down the Columbia River, while the image is of a container ship going under the Golden Gate Bridge. Completely unrelated clips of Trump are thrown in here and there.

The random stock footage clips, often completely unrelated to the narrative, are pretty hilarious. The whole mess had to have been generated by AI.

Then we are treated to a long segment telling us how expensive it would be and how long it would take to build the power infrastructure necessary to replace that generated by the Columbia river. If what? If the Columbia river disappeared? Hard to say.

The suddenly we are talking about Taiwan. Who knows why? "Trump was in Beijing, sitting across from Xi Jinping, trying to manage another situation where America's economic power depends on systems it doesn't fully control. She reportedly warned Trump directly that mishandling Taiwan could push the relationship between the two countries into what he described as an extremely dangerous place."

Next, this howler: "And it lands harder when you remember that Taiwan produces the advanced semiconductors that run everything from American military hardware to artificial intelligence data centers. Data centers, by the way, that need enormous amounts of electricity. Electricity that in the Pacific Northwest comes from a river system Canada now controls more firmly than at any point in the last 20 years." Huh? Canada does not have firmer control than it did before.

Ten this: "There's also a domestic angle nobody wants to talk about. The Pacific Northwest has been a democratic leaning region for decades. Oregon and Washington reliably vote blue. The governors of both states have already started warning that federal policy is putting their economies at risk. If electricity rates spike, if industrial customers start losing reliability, if Bonneville has to renegotiate contracts under worse terms, the political backlash inside the United States will hit hardest in regions Trump didn't win anyway."

This segment says nothing:

"I want to be clear about something. This isn't a story about whether Trump was right or wrong to renegotiate the treaty. There are legitimate arguments that the Canadian entitlement should have been adjusted. There are legitimate arguments that aspects of the 1964 framework didn't account for modern climate realities. Reasonable people on both sides of the border believed modernization was overdue. The problem isn't that Washington wanted a new deal. The problem is that Washington walked away from the negotiating table thinking Canada would chase after them. Canada didn't, and now America is stuck with the old version of a treaty."


SupportSanity

(1,598 posts)
59. His goal is to kill America and Americans.
Mon May 18, 2026, 03:38 PM
33 min ago

And to make him and his cronies rich. Him first.

But definitely to kill America and Americans.

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