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date: 26 March 2025

Rethinking Hydropower: The Economics and Politics of Privately Owned Hydropower in the United Stateslocked

Rethinking Hydropower: The Economics and Politics of Privately Owned Hydropower in the United Stateslocked

  • Lynne Y. LewisLynne Y. LewisDepartment of Economics, Bates College

Summary

2019 marked the 20th anniversary of the removal of the Edwards Dam in Augusta, Maine (USA). Edwards Dam was the first federally licensed hydropower dam to be denied relicensing, and the dam was removed for the purpose of restoring the 10 anadromous fish species that use the Kennebec River. Since that time, numerous other small dams have been removed in the United States. The relicensing process considers benefit-cost analysis, yet remains fundamentally flawed in the consideration of the benefits of dam removals and fish passage. Successful dam removals rely (mostly) on local efforts and outside analysis.

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Subjects

  • Policy, Governance, and Law

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