Alaska—US Plans Its First Megadam in 40 Years: Science in the News
US
Plans Its First Megadam in 40 Years
from New Scientist
It reads like a fairy tale from the brothers Grimm: a giant US state
is planning a giant hydroelectric dam that could flood a tiny shrew
out of its idyllic home.
Later this month, Alaskan authorities will file plans in Washington
DC for a 213-metre megadam on one of the country’s last remaining
wild rivers: the Susitna. If approved, it would be the country’s
first hydroelectric megadam for 40 years, and its fifth tallest, just
8 metres shy of the Hoover dam.
Opponents say the project is a $4.5 billion boondoggle that will
affect wildlife including caribou, grizzly bears and salmon. Instead
they say the state should tap its abundant tidal, geothermal and wind
power. But the icon for protest against the dam may turn out to be
the country’s most secretive shrew. Weighing in at just 1.5 grams,
Sorex yukonicus lives on a bank 10 kilometres downstream of the
proposed site for the dam.
*******************************************************************
“Science in the News” is produced daily by Sigma Xi as a service for
its members and the public. It highlights science and technology news
stories appearing in the mainstream media. The accompanying Web links
provide access to the full text of the articles on the Web sites of
the individual media outlets from which they are taken. For more
about the service, visit
American
Scientist Online
If you experience any problems with the URLs (page not found, page
expired, etc.), we suggest you proceed to the
Science
in the News section of American Scientist Online, which mirrors the
daily e-mail update.»»
