Dr. Sharon Klein presents cutting-edge research on dam decision support at 2021 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference

Dr. Sharon Klein, Associate Professor in the School of Economics, presented her research on dam decision support at the 2021 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference. In today’s talk, Participatory Dam Decision Support: A Conversation-Starter for the FERC Hydropower Dam Relicensing Process, she shared updates and insights from collaborative research conducted with Emma Fox (EES/SOE Alumna), Samuel Roy, and William Winslow. This interdisciplinary research team developed an innovative participatory, web-based Dam Decision Support Tool. Their tool and related resources are designed for use by both individuals and groups as they make decisions about dams, including decisions made as part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) integrated re-licensing process. While their Dam Decision Support Tool currently offers tailored information of relevance to a set of 4 hydropower projects (8 dams) coming up for relicensing on Maine’s Penobscot River, the team has plans to support decisions broadly and have made numerous resources available to the public. Bravo to Sharon and the rest of the team for innovative decision-support research !

For more details about Dr. Klein’s talk, click here to access the team’s abstract and learn more about related talks in their session at the 2021 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference.

For general details about the 2021 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference agenda and sessions, click here.