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Rendering Technical, Rendering Sacred: The Politics of Hydroelectric Development on British Columbia’s Saaghii Naachii/Peace River

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  • Caleb Behn
  • Karen Bakker

Abstract

This article analyzes debates over the Site C Dam on the Saaghii Naachii/Peace River in northeastern British Columbia (BC), Canada. After heated debate over the past several decades, construction on the CN$10 billion hydroelectric project—the largest in the province’s history—recently commenced. The article focuses on debates over the analysis and adjudication of cumulative effects, and concomitant treaty rights infringement, within the environmental review process. The shortcomings of the regulatory review process used to assess cumulative effects are analyzed in two ways: first, by a conventional academic assessment, and second, by a Dunne-Za teaching of the interrelationships between land, water, and animals in the dam-affected region. Through juxtaposing these two modes of analysis, the article engages with scholarship in political ecology and Indigenous political theory.

Suggested Citation

  • Caleb Behn & Karen Bakker, 2019. "Rendering Technical, Rendering Sacred: The Politics of Hydroelectric Development on British Columbia’s Saaghii Naachii/Peace River," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 19(3), pages 98-119, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:19:y:2019:i:3:p:98-119
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    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/glep_a_00518
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ansar, Atif & Flyvbjerg, Bent & Budzier, Alexander & Lunn, Daniel, 2014. "Should we build more large dams? The actual costs of hydropower megaproject development," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 43-56.
    2. Annie Booth & Norm W. Skelton, 2011. ""We Are Fighting For Ourselves" — First Nations' Evaluation Of British Columbia And Canadian Environmental Assessment Processes," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(03), pages 367-404.
    3. Bram Noble, 2015. "Cumulative Effects Research: Achievements, Status, Directions And Challenges In The Canadian Context," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 17(01), pages 1-7.
    4. Karen Bakker & Christina Cook, 2011. "Water Governance in Canada: Innovation and Fragmentation," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(02), pages 275-289.
    5. Flyvbjerg,Bent & Bruzelius,Nils & Rothengatter,Werner, 2003. "Megaprojects and Risk," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521009461, October.
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    1. Arbuckle, Evan J. & Binsted, Matthew & Davies, Evan G.R. & Chiappori, Diego V. & Bergero, Candelaria & Siddiqui, Muhammad-Shahid & Roney, Christopher & McJeon, Haewon C. & Zhou, Yuyu & Macaluso, Nick, 2021. "Insights for Canadian electricity generation planning from an integrated assessment model: Should we be more cautious about hydropower cost overruns?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).

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