Covering global threats such as climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity, as well as national, state, and local problems of environmental pollution, energy use, and natural resource use and conservation, this exciting and unique text covers U.S. policy-making processes, the legislative and administrative settings for policy decisions, the role of interest groups and public opinion in environmental politics, and the public policies that result.
Offering a succinct overview and assessment of U.S. environmental policy and politics, Kraft encourages students to judge environmental problems and policy actions for themselves by summarizing extensive collections of scientific studies, government reports, and policy analyses to convey the nature of environmental problems, progress and limitations in dealing with them, and the implications of keeping or revising present policies.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Chapter 1: Environmental Problems and Politics
Environmental Policy and Politics
Perspectives on Environmental Problems
Scientific Knowledge and Its Use
Economics and Incentives
Environmental Values and Ethics
The Role of Government and Politics
Democracy, Politics, and Environmental Policy
Defining Environmental Policy
Policy Typologies
The Breadth of Environmental Policy
Environmental Problems and Public Policy
Defining the Problems: The Nature of Environmental Risks
Coping with Environmental Risks
Public Policy Responses
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 2: Judging the State of the Environment
Air Quality
Gains in Air Quality and Remaining Problems
Indoor Air Quality
Acid Precipitation
CFCs and the Stratospheric Ozone Layer
Water Quality
Pollution of Surface Waters
Drinking Water Quality
Toxic Chemicals and Hazardous Wastes
Toxic Chemicals and Health Effects
Hazardous Wastes
Contaminated Federal Facilities
Radioactive Wastes
Solid Waste and Consumer Waste
Energy Use and Climate Change
The Nature of Energy Problems
Fossil Fuels and the Threat of Climate Change
Biological Diversity and Habitat Loss
Biodiversity Loss and Implications
Policy Actions and Effects
Population Growth
Population and Sustainable Development
Growth Rates and Projected Population Increases
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 3: Making Environmental Policy
Understanding Environmental Politics
The Policy Process Model
Agenda Setting
Policy Formulation
Policy Legitimation
Policy Implementation
Policy and Program Evaluation
Policy Change
Patterns in Environmental Policymaking
Characteristics of U.S. Government and Politics
Constitutional and Political Features
Institutional Fragmentation and Policy Stalemate
The Benefits of Dispersed Power
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 4: The Evolution of Environmental Policy and Politics
Natural Resources and Environmental Policies in Historical Perspective
The Settlement and “Conquest” of Nature
The Conservation Movement and Advances in Public Health
From the New Deal to the Environmental Movement
The Modern Environmental Movement and Policy Achievements
Environmental Interest Groups
Public Opinion and the Environment
Environmental Issues in Election Campaigns
Political Reaction to Environmentalism
Environmental Policy in the Reagan and Bush Administrations
Clinton and Gore Reform Environmental Policy and Battle Congress
George W. Bush and the Environment
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 5: Environmental Protection Policy: Controlling Pollution
The Contours of Environmental Protection Policy
The Clean Air Act
The Clean Water Act
The Safe Drinking Water Act
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
The Toxic Substances Control Act
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
The Institutional Context of Policy Implementation
The EPA’s Organization, Budget, and Staff
Working with the States
Political Support and Opposition
Setting Environmental Standards
Environmental Goals and Objectives
Environmental Quality Criteria
Setting Quality Standards
Emissions Standards
Balancing Statutory Goals and Costs
Adopting and Enforcing Regulations
Administrative Rule Making
Enforcement and Compliance
White House Oversight
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 6: Energy and Natural Resource Policies
Energy Policy: Goals and Means
Indirect Policy Impacts
Shifting Energy Priorities
The Energy Policy Cycle: 1973—1989
Carter’s National Energy Plan and Conservation Gains
Reagan’s Nonpolicy on Energy
Energy Policy for the Twenty-First Century
The Bush Administration’s National Energy Strategy
The Clinton Administration Tries Its Hand
Energy Policy Under George W. Bush
State and Local Energy Initiatives
Natural Resources and Policy Change
Environmental Stewardship or Economic Development?
The Environmentalist Challenge to Resource Development
Natural Resource Policies and Agencies
Managing the Nation’s Forests
Battles over Wilderness
Governing the Range
BLM Lands and the Sagebrush Rebellion
Other Protected Lands and Agencies
Environmental Impacts and Natural Resources Decision Making
The Endangered Species Act
The National Environmental Policy Act
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 7: Evaluating Environmental Policy
Critiques of Environmental Policy
Environmental Policy Evaluation
Program Outcomes
Examining Decision Making and Institutions
Signs of Progress
Environmental Protection Policies
Natural Resource Policies
Data Assessment and Public Dialogue
Costs, Benefits, and Risks
Comparing Risks and Setting Priorities
Controversies over Cost—Benefit Analysis and Risk Assessment
Environmentalists’ Use of Economic Analysis
Jobs, the Economy, and the Environment
Employment, Business Costs, and Environmental Policy
Seeking Common Ground: Toward Environmental Sustainability Environmental Justice
Reforming Environmental Regulation
The Case for Policy Alternatives
Assessing New Policy Approaches
New Directions in Energy and Natural Resources Policy
The Appeal of User Fees
Privatization of Public Land
Social Cost Accounting
Government Purchasing Power
Ecosystem Management
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
Chapter 8: Environmental Policy and Politics for the Twenty-First Century
Environmental Goals and Policy Choices: Domestic and Global
Three Generations of Environmental Policy and Politics
Toward Sustainable Development?
The President’s Council on Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development at State and Local Levels
Business and the Environment
Citizens and the Environment
International Environmental Policy and Politics
Environmental Institutions and Policies
Institutional Capacity for Global Sustainable Development
Political Conflict and Global Environmental Policy
Climate Change
Protection of Biological Diversity
Population Growth and Economic Development
Conclusions
Discussion Questions
Suggested Readings
Endnotes
References
Index
