NETWORKS, COALITIONS AND THE CONTESTATION OF DAM REMOVAL ACROSS POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL SCALES IN FRANCE AND NEW ENGLAND (USA)

Abstract

Conflicts over dam removal have attracted substantial scholarly attention over the past years, although this research has generally focused on evaluating local-scale conflicts. Far less is known about the role of institutional frameworks in shaping conflicts at regional and national scales. We complement and extend this discussion by highlighting the politics of scale in dam removal conflicts, specifically by a comparison of cases in northwest of France and New England (United States) where the pace of dam removals has accelerated in recent years. We interpret these cases using a framework of scalar politics articulated with actor-network theory. Based on detailed qualitative data, we contrast the case of France, where local conflicts over dam removal have been debated at the national scale, with the debates about dam removal in New England, which have consistently remained almost entirely at local scales. We point out three elements to analyze this contrast: the strategic scale of deployment by opponents to further their interest, the role of dams as brokering devices to foster the horizontal network of actors and things prior to upscaling, and the support on existing scalar arrangements to upscale conflicts.

Keywords::

• Actor-network theory
• dam removal
• environmental conflicts
• New England
• Normandy
• scalar politics

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the reviewers whose comments and suggestions greatly helped improve this manuscript.

Notes

1. https://www.americanrivers.org/conservation-resource/american-rivers-dam-removal- database-now-available-public/ for New England figures and Seine-Normandie Water Agency personal communication for northwest France figures.

2. https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-swift-river.html.

3. http://www.hydrauxois.org/2018/01/1392-elus-et-349-associations-demandent.html.

4. The CGEDD is a department within the Minister of Environment. It has an advisory role with the government on environmental issues.

5. https://bangordailynews.com/2012/06/11/news/bangor/crews-begin-removing-great-works-dam-3-5m-in-federal-funds-pledged/.

Additional information

Funding

This research was made possible by the financial support of the Agence de l’eau Seine-Normandie, the National Science Foundation (grant #BCS-1263519), and the Dartmouth College Rockefeller Center for Public Policy.