"Saving" the Mekong River: America Begins to Get Involved

Advisor Shannon and Ambassador Thorne said the US State Department will contribute $500,000 to support the Mekong River Commission in studying the impacts of hydropower on communities and the environment in the region.

Proposed location of Don Sahong hydropower plant (photo: International Rivers)

A press release from the US State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs said that on February 2, US State Department Advisor Tom Shannon and Senior Advisor, Ambassador David Thorne led a delegation to attend the Special Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Group in Pakse (Laos).

This is the first time the FLM group has discussed with the Lower Mekong countries the linkages between water resources, energy needs and food security in the region.

Speaking at the meeting, the US delegation announced a number of new initiatives, including the Mekong Sustainable Energy Initiative (SMEI) of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Through this initiative, the US hopes to promote the use of alternative energy and low-greenhouse gas emission technologies.

The US side also said that the State Department will arrange and send a Sustainable Energy Business Delegation to the Lower Mekong region later this year.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the leading agency in charge of constructing and managing hydropower and irrigation projects in the United States, announced that it will provide technical assistance in hydropower management. Meanwhile, the Mississippi River Commission has signed a five-year extension of its agreement with the Mekong River Commission to exchange expertise and information between the two sides.

Advisor Shannon and Ambassador Thorne announced that the U.S. State Department will contribute $500,000 to support the Mekong River Commission in studying the impacts of hydropower on communities and the environment in the region.

In the plan to build 12 hydroelectric dams in the lower Mekong River basin, 10 dams block the entire river, except Don Sahong built on the main tributary and Thako is a diversion project.

When Laos announced the construction of the Son Dahong hydropower dam, Cambodia and Vietnam, along with many associations, non-governmental organizations in Thailand, and many scientists around the world protested because of the great impact on the environment, especially in downstream countries.

In the face of opposition from environmental organizations around the world and disagreements, governments have voiced concerns about the limited research time while the project has many cross-border impacts. Therefore, all countries have requested more time to study the project's impacts on each member country. In the spirit of the 1995 Mekong Agreement, Laos must clarify these concerns in order to seek consensus from member countries during the project implementation process.

According to antt.vn