ABSTRACT
The 'rendering technical' of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the environmental licensing process forecloses the process from alternative claims regarding impacts, differentiating legitimate grievances that are worthy of discussion and solution within official documents from those deemed illegitimate and unworthy. The 'rendering technical' of an EIA can be countered by public hearings, within which the project is presented to members of the local community who can question and critique plans. While official projections of peak-level employment stood at 18,700 direct employees and 23,000 indirect jobs, it was estimated by some that upwards of 30,000 workers arrived in Altamira. While EIAs represent a process of 'rendering technical,' resulting in the foreclosure of the environmental licensing process from alternative perspectives, those opposed to the project 'render visible' extensive impacts that remain undiscussed, unmitigated and excluded within official assessments. However, the social impacts of hydroelectric dams discussed in this chapter do not exist in isolation.
