How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada
In 2013, the state-owned electrical energy utility in New Brunswick, Canada, announced that a problem with concrete expansion was shortening by 40 years the expected life of the 660 MW Mactaquac Generating Station on the Saint John River. Its construction late in the 1960s, and the subsequent inunda...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ee19e82da9194162ad953bc4eed19613 2023-05-15T16:17:07+02:00 How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada Kate Sherren Thomas M. Beckley Simon Greenland-Smith Louise Comeau 2017-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doaj.org/article/ee19e82da9194162ad953bc4eed19613 EN eng Water Alternatives Association http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol10/v10issue3/378-a10-3-4/file https://doaj.org/toc/1965-0175 1965-0175 https://doaj.org/article/ee19e82da9194162ad953bc4eed19613 Water Alternatives, Vol 10, Iss 3, Pp 697-723 (2017) Amenity energy gender hydroelectricity multifunctionality path dependency sacrificial landscapes social imaginary stakeholder engagement uncertainty Canada Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 article 2017 ftdoajarticles 2022-12-30T22:39:03Z In 2013, the state-owned electrical energy utility in New Brunswick, Canada, announced that a problem with concrete expansion was shortening by 40 years the expected life of the 660 MW Mactaquac Generating Station on the Saint John River. Its construction late in the 1960s, and the subsequent inundation of 10,000 hectares (ha) was part of a regional modernisation programme. Locals lost homes, agricultural land, communities and landmarks and a new mill changed livelihoods and attracted new people. In the intervening decades, the reservoir has become locally cherished for waterfront living and pleasure boat recreation. Since 2012, independent social science research about the fate of the dam and headpond has been undertaken in parallel with stakeholder engagement and public relations by the electricity utility. The final decision was delivered late 2016. The chosen option was to extend the dam’s life through repairs in situ, not one of the options formally under consideration. This paper presents provincial-scale discourses on the Mactaquac decision, using a 2014 energy survey of 500 New Brunswick residents which included questions about the Mactaquac decision. Analysis reveals how provincial preferences aligned with local qualitative research (summarised in an Appendix), revealing preferences for ongoing headpond amenity and the avoidance of further trauma associated with major landscape change. Preferences of First Nations to remove the dam may yet prove disruptive to the announced option. The discussion summarises aspects of the case study relevant to other instances of dam removal and landscape transition, as well as exploring options for further theoretical development, testing or application. These opportunities include: why males and females demonstrated different scales of concern around Mactaquac; the implications of different framings of hydroelectricity development (e.g. sacrificial landscape or local energy) on removal debates; and, how public decision-making can usefully engage with rather than ... Article in Journal/Newspaper First Nations Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Amenity energy gender hydroelectricity multifunctionality path dependency sacrificial landscapes social imaginary stakeholder engagement uncertainty Canada Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 |
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Amenity energy gender hydroelectricity multifunctionality path dependency sacrificial landscapes social imaginary stakeholder engagement uncertainty Canada Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 Kate Sherren Thomas M. Beckley Simon Greenland-Smith Louise Comeau How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada |
topic_facet |
Amenity energy gender hydroelectricity multifunctionality path dependency sacrificial landscapes social imaginary stakeholder engagement uncertainty Canada Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 |
description |
In 2013, the state-owned electrical energy utility in New Brunswick, Canada, announced that a problem with concrete expansion was shortening by 40 years the expected life of the 660 MW Mactaquac Generating Station on the Saint John River. Its construction late in the 1960s, and the subsequent inundation of 10,000 hectares (ha) was part of a regional modernisation programme. Locals lost homes, agricultural land, communities and landmarks and a new mill changed livelihoods and attracted new people. In the intervening decades, the reservoir has become locally cherished for waterfront living and pleasure boat recreation. Since 2012, independent social science research about the fate of the dam and headpond has been undertaken in parallel with stakeholder engagement and public relations by the electricity utility. The final decision was delivered late 2016. The chosen option was to extend the dam’s life through repairs in situ, not one of the options formally under consideration. This paper presents provincial-scale discourses on the Mactaquac decision, using a 2014 energy survey of 500 New Brunswick residents which included questions about the Mactaquac decision. Analysis reveals how provincial preferences aligned with local qualitative research (summarised in an Appendix), revealing preferences for ongoing headpond amenity and the avoidance of further trauma associated with major landscape change. Preferences of First Nations to remove the dam may yet prove disruptive to the announced option. The discussion summarises aspects of the case study relevant to other instances of dam removal and landscape transition, as well as exploring options for further theoretical development, testing or application. These opportunities include: why males and females demonstrated different scales of concern around Mactaquac; the implications of different framings of hydroelectricity development (e.g. sacrificial landscape or local energy) on removal debates; and, how public decision-making can usefully engage with rather than ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kate Sherren Thomas M. Beckley Simon Greenland-Smith Louise Comeau |
author_facet |
Kate Sherren Thomas M. Beckley Simon Greenland-Smith Louise Comeau |
author_sort |
Kate Sherren |
title |
How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada |
title_short |
How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada |
title_full |
How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada |
title_fullStr |
How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
How Provincial and Local Discourses Aligned Against the Prospect of Dam Removal in New Brunswick, Canada |
title_sort |
how provincial and local discourses aligned against the prospect of dam removal in new brunswick, canada |
publisher |
Water Alternatives Association |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doaj.org/article/ee19e82da9194162ad953bc4eed19613 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Water Alternatives, Vol 10, Iss 3, Pp 697-723 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol10/v10issue3/378-a10-3-4/file https://doaj.org/toc/1965-0175 1965-0175 https://doaj.org/article/ee19e82da9194162ad953bc4eed19613 |
_version_ |
1766002967268294656 |