AP Chapter 21 Environmental Policy

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AP Chapter 21Environmental Policy
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Federalism

• US environmental policy involves state
  co-operation in order to work

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Controversial

• Issue groups on the environment tend to be some
  of the most adversarial
• The sides of the issues are somewhat emotionally
  charged from the onset
• Hard to prove/determine the outcome of the policy
• Geography is a major part of it

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Sectionalism

• Each region of the country face unique
  environmental concerns
• Earthquakes vs hurricanes
• Sun vs snow
• Floods vs drought
• Most solutions become client issues

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NIMBY-ism

• No one wants the bad stuff- only the good
• Ex- nuclear waste deposits

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Etrepreneurial model

• Few pay, all benefit
• Oil spills, global warming, protecting an
  endangered species (Lakeside MS)

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Majoritarian model

• All pay, all benefit (must believe that the costs
  are relatively low)
• Clean air, EPA laws
• High cost- gas tax
• (prices rise to the consumer)

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Interest Group model

• Few pay, few benefit
• Acid rain prevention, zoning laws

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Client model

• All pay, few benefit
• Agriculture laws (low of farmers)
• Pesticides, fertilizer, forestry

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The question.

• Many environmental issues are from the pro-active
  viewpoint
• Reactive is too late and is usually a political
  nightmare
• (think school safety issues- too late is very bad)

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The solutions..

• The means justifying the ends is tough when the
  end is uncertain
• Uncertain is a big roll of the dice on some
  issues (2 headed fish)
• Usually a cost/benefit argument
• Can we measure the results/goals?

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The Superfund

• Comprehensive Environmental Response,
  Compensation, and Liability Act 1980- President
  Carter
• Taxed chemical and petroleum cos
• Gave US govt. power to sue cos who polluted

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The effectiveness of the Super Fund

• Hard to find a company to sue
• Time consuming to clean up sites- some had been
  built on
• The sheer of sites overwhelmed the EPA
• (Love Canal- NY)

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• Many issues are becoming global.. A
  whole-nother can of worms
• (worms by the way are now an invasive species in
  Ohio)