Authors: Bartholow, John M.; Douglas, Aaron J.; Taylor, Jonathan G.

Source: Environmental Values, Volume 4, Number 3, August 1995 , pp. 257-270(14)

Publisher: White Horse Press

Abstract:

This paper reviews the AWARE(TM) software distributed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The program is designed to facilitate the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license renewal process for US hydropower installations. The discussion reviews the regulatory, legal, and social contexts that give rise to the creation and distribution of AWARE(TM). The principal legal impetus for AWARE(TM) is the Electric Consumer Protection Act (ECPA) of 1986 that directs FERC to give equal consideration to power and non-power resources during relicensing. The software is reviewed in this paper from several perspectives including those of natural resource economics, systems modeling, and the social context within which FERC licensing decisions are made. We examine both the software and its underlying methodology and find significant problems with each. Because of its flaws, AWARE(TM) does little to further ECPA's equal consideration requirement. We find that the conservation and restoration impact of ECPA for US fisheries could be seriously hampered by the widespread use of AWARE(TM).

Keywords: AWARE; Electric Consumer Protection Act; hydropower; water resources; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 1995-08-01

More about this publication?

• Environmental Values is an international peer-reviewed journal that brings together contributions from philosophy, economics, politics, sociology, geography, anthropology, ecology and other disciplines, which relate to the present and future environment of human beings and other species. In doing so we aim to clarify the relationship between practical policy issues and more fundamental underlying principles or assumptions.
  
  Environmental Values has an impact factor (2011) of 1.372
• Editorial Board
• Information for Authors
• Submit a Paper
• Subscribe to this Title
• ingentaconnect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Ecology ,  Philosophy
• By this author: Bartholow, John M. ;  Douglas, Aaron J. ;  Taylor, Jonathan G.

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers