US Environmental Policy in Action provides a comprehensive look at the creation, implementation, and evaluation of environmental policy, which is of particular importance in our current era of congressional gridlock, partisanship and polarization, and escalating debates about federal/state relations. With a continued focus on the front lines of environmental policy, Rinfret and Pautz take into account the major changes in the practice of US environmental policy during the Trump and Biden administrations. Providing real-life examples of how environmental policy works rather than solely discussing how congressional action produces environmental laws, this third edition of US Environmental Policy in Action offers a practical approach to understanding contemporary American environmental policy.
Author(s): Sara R. Rinfret, Michelle C. Pautz
Edition: 3
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 405
City: Cham
Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Environmental Policy in Practice
Environmental Dilemmas and Choices
Clean or Dirty Air?
Is It Really Drinkable?
Taking Out the Trash
Why Should We Care About Plants and Animals?
Plan of the Book
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Videos
References
2 The Development and Context of American Environmental Policy
Historical Evolution of US Environmental Policy
Colonial America
Nineteenth Century
Early Twentieth Century: 1900–1930s
Mid-twentieth Century: 1940s and 1950s
The Birth of the Modern Environmental Movement
The 1970s: The Development of Modern Environmental Regulation
The 1980s: Changing Course with Environmental Protection
The 1990s: Stagnation
The Early Twenty-First Century: Presidents Bush and Obama
The Trump Administration: The Undoing of Environmental Policy
The Start of the Third Decade of the Twenty-First Century: The Biden Administration
Themes in the US’ Experience with Environmental Policy
Public Opinion and the Environment
Role of Science in Public Discourse
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Video
References
3 The Messy Process of Making Environmental Policy
What Is Environmental Policy?
The Context of Policymaking
The Policy Process
Stages Model of Policymaking
Problem Identification and Definition
Agenda Setting
Policy Formulation
Policy Legitimation
Policy Implementation
Policy Evaluation
Policy Failure and Change
Flaws of the Stages Model and Alternative Policy Models
Attributes of the Policymaking System
Power Distribution and Fragmentation
Politics, the Public, and Systemic Tendencies
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Videos
References
4 Official Actors in the Policy Process
The Official Actors
Congress: The Making of Policy
The President, the Environment, and Setting the Agenda
The Presidency and the Environment
Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
George W. Bush (2001–2009)
Barack Obama (2009–2017)
Donald J. Trump (2016–2021)
Joseph Biden (2021–)
Implications of Presidential State of the Union Addresses
The Environmental Bureaucracy
Delegation of Authority
One of the Oldest Environmental Agencies in the World
Protecting Species for the Future
Environmental Bureaucracies
The Nine—The Final Deciders
Courts and Environmental Policy
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Videos
References
5 Unofficial Actors in the Policy Process
Unofficial Policy Actors
Political Parties
Interest Groups
Birdsongs, Petrels, and Whales
The Adventures of a Lobbyist
Rebranding
Influence
Oil or Clean Energy?
Agencymakers
The Media and Interest Groups
Who Gets Air Time?
Alternative Media
Clickivism or Activism
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Video
References
6 Translating Vague Statutes into Rules and Regulations
Why Would Congress Delegate Its Authority?
Mechanisms of Accountability
Rules in the Making
The Administrative Procedures Act
Different Than Congressional Lawmaking
Influence: Where It Occurs
Expanding Our Understanding of Environmental Rulemaking
Reg Neg or Reg Neg Lite?
States Matter
The Social Cost of Carbon
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Videos
References
7 Implementing Environmental Policy and Regulations: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Overview of Environmental Policy Implementation
Command and Control Regulations
Developing and Implementing Command and Control Regulations
Fundamental Assumptions of Command and Control Regulation
Command and Control Regulations in Action
Regulatory Structure
Permitting and Compliance Monitoring
Inspection Process
Noncompliance During Inspections
Front-Line Regulators
Misperceptions About Regulators
Members of the Regulated Community
Misperceptions of the Regulated Community
Regulatory Interactions
Challenges of Implementing Command and Control Regulations
Politics and Competing Priorities
Federalism
Resource Constraints
Administrative Structures and Discretion
Concerns of Regulatory Capture
The Next Generation of Environmental Regulation
Criticisms of Command and Control Regulation
The Future of Environmental Regulation
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Reading and Websites
Films and Videos
References
8 Is It Working? Evaluating Environmental Policy
Policy Analysis and Evaluation
The Purpose of Policy Evaluation
The Stages of Policy Evaluation
Evaluative Criteria: The Life Blood of Policy Evaluation
Assessing Effectiveness and Efficiency
Assessing Equity
Evaluating Programs and Achieving Goals
Policy Evaluation in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films and Videos
References
9 The Intersection of Natural Resource and Energy Policy
Defining the Intersection
The Federal Landlords
Energy Policy and Public Lands
Federal Energy Managers
National Security, Energy, and Presidential Directives
Public Perceptions in the West
Challenges and Considerations
The Evolving West and Natural Resource Economies
State or Federal Control
Water Scarcity
Demographic Makeup of Public Land Agencies
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Videos
References
10 The Politics and Policies of Food
Food Policy and Politics
Connections Between Food and Environmental Issues
The Agricultural Sector in the US: Its Size, Scope, and Environmental Impact
Environmental Impacts of Agriculture
Food Consumption, Nutrition, and Public Health
Dietary Guidance from the Government
Public Health
The Role of Government in Food Safety and Nutrition Assistance
Food Safety
Hunger and Food Insecurity
Food and Culture
Challenges and Considerations for the Future
Multitude of Interests
Understanding and Conveying Scientific Information
Evolving Cultural Values Around Food
Inequities in the American Food System
Chapter Wrap-Up
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
References
11 Environmental Policy in Action: Past, Present, and Future
Environmental Policy Past
Environmental Policy Present
Hyper Partisanship and Political Polarization
Questioning Government’s Role in Environmental Protection & Legislative Paralysis
Major Environmental Issues Persist
Environmental Policy Future
Action in the Future
Challenge Question for the Environmental Policy Classroom
Suggested Resources
Readings and Websites
Films or Videos
References
Index
