Dr. Alida Cantor visiting mud pots and geothermal energy facilities on a research trip at the Salton Sea in Imperial County, California. (Credit: Dr. James Blair)
Dr. Alida Cantor is a geographer with a focus on political ecology and human-environment interactions. Her research centers on understanding water governance and how water resource management can become more sustainable and equitable. She works as a professor of geography at Portland State University.
One specific project examines how renewable energy transitions impact water resources and communities. Through case studies across the Western United States, Alida and her colleagues are investigating how various renewable energy projects, ranging from lithium mining to pumped hydropower storage, affect hydrosocial interactions.
The UPP sat down with Alida to learn about her work on the water-energy nexus.
What is the focus of the water-energy nexus project? Why is this work important?
The research is based on the idea that, on the one hand, we absolutely need renewable energy; we need to transition our energy systems and decarbonize energy. At the same time, we need to recognize the impacts of those transitions.
New types of mining, extraction, and infrastructures are going to impact different people in different places in new ways. And that's important to think about, so that we can make sure that the transitions are as fair as possible and provide benefits to communities, not just extra burdens.
One of the ways that renewable transitions are impacting communities is through water. That includes water quality impacts of mining, use of water for infrastructure, and the changing of people's relationships with water through that process.
Can you describe your data collection process?
We're using a mixed qualitative methods approach. We’ve been interviewing people to get a range of perspectives with each case. That includes proponents and opponents of projects, people from government agencies, and others knowledgeable about the projects in different ways, including community members, project developers, and local and state agency staff.
In addition to the interviews, our methods vary a bit case by case. Some include media analysis like looking at recent newspaper articles to see how narratives are portrayed in the news. We've also been doing policy analysis, examining how policy responses or efforts address these issues. Another method is participant observation–attending meetings, taking notes, and observing how these processes unfold.
We're also in the middle of analyzing data using Q methodology. It’s an interesting mixed-methods approach where participants sort statements based on what they most or least agree with.
Can you describe the project's implications for hydrosocial relationships?
The overall theme of the project is that every energy project has implications for hydrosocial relationships.
We’re looking at different examples to understand how renewable energy can affect these relationships overall. We're examining physical transformations – how energy infrastructure affects water flows; social relationships – how governance, policy, and legal structures are impacted; and ideas about water itself – how people conceptualize and value water.
For example, we’re looking at shifts from viewing water as a commodity or resource to be extracted to understanding water as kin, especially as Indigenous perspectives become more central to governance.
The Water-Energy Nexus Research Team (left to right): Kate Berry, Dustin Mulvaney, Alida Cantor, and James Blair
How did you select the case studies?
We identified the case studies through our network of collaborators. I’m working with Kate Berry at the University of Nevada Reno, Dustin Mulvaney at San Jose State, and James Blair at Cal Poly Pomona, and each of us selected one or more cases near where we live and that we're particularly interested in. We then stitched them together into a cohesive project. The proximity allows us to engage more deeply with each case.
Green colonialism is a recurring critique for green energy projects. What are your thoughts on this critique?
The green colonialism critique is powerful and important. It connects to the long histories of how Indigenous peoples have been impacted by water management and energy development. These histories shape current perspectives.
Environmental impact assessments often try to address what impacts can or cannot be mitigated, but some, especially those involving sacred sites, simply can’t be mitigated. The cultural damage may be unavoidable.
Engaging tribal communities way, way early in the process is crucial to this. A lot of times, communities aren’t engaged or aren’t asked for feedback until the site's been chosen and expensive environmental impact analysis has been done, and that's too late.
We’ve also been looking into the pros and cons of community benefit agreements, where companies negotiate with communities to address concerns and offer financial and infrastructural benefits, or even shared ownership. If done well, these agreements can ensure that communities genuinely benefit from the projects, rather than being left out while profits go to multinational corporations.
Can there be a balance between progress for green energy projects and addressing cultural/environmental concerns of frontline communities?
Yeah, I absolutely do. I think we can see that communities care about their local places, and communities want energy transitions to happen. They just want to do it in ways that don't feel like they're being thrown under the bus.
I think community benefit agreements can be part of finding that balance, if they're done right and not done in a misleading way. Ownership matters too. Some tribal organizations are developing their own energy projects, which allows them to maintain control and ensure alignment with community values.
One example is the proposed Goldendale pumped hydropower storage project. The Yakama Nation opposes the project because of unmitigatable impacts to Tribal cultural resources, and has instead proposed a rail energy storage project. Instead of using water, it would store energy by moving heavy weights (rocks) on a rail system. It achieves the same energy storage goal as pumped hydro but without impacting water. It shows how Tribal leadership and creative, community-led solutions can move us forward.
What community perspectives were most eye opening?
One key takeaway across cases is that there's a lot of pushback from community members who are concerned about the impacts of the projects, but those same people are not opposed to green energy in general. Many are deeply committed to climate action in their own communities. It's not as simple as, “Oh, the people opposed are against fixing climate change.” No, what they're opposed to is what they see as negative impacts in their communities.
Wind turbines in Goldendale, WA overlooking the Columbia River. (Credit: Alida Cantor)
Has your work been impacted in any way by the current administration?
Unfortunately, yes. Two grants that funded this project have been impacted–one from the National Science Foundation and one from the Environmental Protection Agency, and both were abruptly terminated this spring.
We received an email instructing us to immediately cease work. It’s been a major disruption, especially since we were already halfway through the projects. We’ve had to pause data collection unless collaborators have other funding.
Since we’ve collected so much data already, we’re committed to publishing it. We want to honor the time and trust that interviewees gave us. Fortunately, we’re all still employed, so we can keep writing and publishing. We just won’t be able to pay graduate students or cover course buyouts, so the work will take longer.
Looking ahead, we’ll probably need to rely on foundation funding or other non-federal sources to continue. More broadly, the renewable energy landscape has also been affected. Funding cuts, program cancellations, and uncertainty are all making it harder for both research and implementation.
Our plan now is to keep moving forward with limited resources and hope that the future brings better support for this kind of work.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.