Public Policy Study Guide Test 3 Topic 8 Environmental Policy K F Ch 11 Pages 340 380 Discussion Should Florida allow oil drilling off the coast Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC Under the bush administration they withheld a report because they had supposedly already met the standards for reports for the year environmentalists sued them and a federal judged made them release the report At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development delegates from 179 nations pledged support for an elaborate plan of action for the 21st century called Agenda 21 It addresses environmental concerns by emphasizing Sustainable Development or economic growth that is compatible with natural environmental systems and social goals The objective of sustainable development is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Environmental policy can be defined as all government actions that affect or attempt to affect environmental quality and the use of natural recourses Traditionally environmental policy was meant to conserve or protect natural resources such as public lands and waters wildernesses and wildlife Recently being used to refer to government s efforts that are motivated by public health concerns such as air and water pollution and limiting the exposure to toxic chemicals Collaborative Decision making process in witch industry and other stakeholders worked cooperatively with government officials THE EVOLUTION OF ENVIROMENTAL AND ENERGY POLICY Early Environmental and Energy Policies In the late 19th century and early 2oth conservation policies advanced to deal with the excess of economic development in the west and new federal agencies formed to implement them including the US Forest Service in 1905 and National Park Service in 1916 In 1892 congress set aside 2 million acres in Idaho Montana and Wyoming to create Yellowstone National Park FROM CONSENSUS TO CONFLICT IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY If consensus on environmental policy was the norm during the 1970 s by the 1980s political conflict became the new standard in policy making The shift in perspective had many causes but chief among them were the conservatives growing concerns about the strong role of government and its implications in the private sector increasing doubts about policy analysts about the effectiveness and efficiency of the dominant command and control regulation and the business communities resentment over the burdens of new policy Reagan and Bush Administration Policies These new ideas came about during Ronald Reagan s Presidency when environmental agencies suffered deep budget cuts lost experienced staff and saw program activities slow down Reagan s agenda was to provide temporary relief to the business community and western resource development such as mining logging and ranching His campaign showed little interest in genuine reforms to make them more efficient and effective Ultimately his administration failed in rolling back environmental policy primarily because the US public continued to favor strong environmental protection The result being strengthened major environmental laws and adherence to the same command and control policy strategy that policy analysts were questioning Resource Conservation and Recovery Act 1976 specific and detailed instructions for the handling of hazardous wastes This pattern of policy enhancement continued as George H W Bush who served as Reagan s vice president for 8 years worked with congress to enact the Clean Air Act 1970 amended 1990 ambient air quality standards emissions limits stationary and mobile sources Partisan Conflict over Environmental Policy Partisan conflict had much to do with the inability to focus seriously on the real reform agenda and to chart new environmental policy directions for the future The two major political parties grew further apart from the 70s through the 1990s and were especially sharp and apart in the 90s Partisan Positions Everyone wants a clean environment Party conflicts over right to regulate Dems Strong government role to protect GOP Private property and economic development are most important issues Environmental Policy Under George W Bush More interested in conservative base than GHW Bush closer to republican views than his father Could not deny his republican ideological financial base and called on all his resources in business and agriculture and logging exct He was also open to criticism from environmentalists MAJOR FEDERAL ENVIROMENTAL POLICIES The National Environmental Policy Act NEPA 1969 the enactment of this 6 page statute signified the beginning of the modern era in environmental policy The NEPA acknowledged the profound impacts of mans activities on the interrelations of all components of the natural environment And the critical importance of restoring and maintaining environmental quality The instrument for achieving these goals is procedural rather than substantive The preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement EIS witch is often used in government agency planning and decision making is basically a plan for some action like building a highway and all the other options and possibilities that could come along Environmental Protection Statutes and the EPA The EPA develops regulations that affect the current and future use and release of chemicals and pollutants that pose a significant risk to public health or the environment Over the years congress strengthened and amended several of the major policies The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 required for the first time the development of national ambient air quality standards that were to be uniform across the country with enforcement shared by federal and state governments Included the emissions of cars and acid rain too The Clean Water Act of 1970 is the major federal program regulating surface water quality Sought to make all surface water swimmable and fishable Also gave the stat most of the responsibility in marinating water quality The Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodencide Act of 1972 made the EPA register all pesticides that were used and could suspend them at will if they were a risk to public health and must review all regulations every 15 years The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 gave the EPA comprehensive authority to identify evaluate and regulate risks associated with commercial chemicals Bill was limited in effectiveness Comprehensive Environmental Response
View Full Document
Unlocking...