Environmental Politics & Regulation
This term describes how an issue is presented in a way that influences how people understand it.
What is framing?
This nationwide environmental event helped bring environmental issues into the political spotlight.
What is Earth Day?
This federal agency was created to consolidate the government's pollution-control responsibilities.
What is the EPA?
If pollution is primarily a local problem, what is one argument for allowing states to regulate it rather than the federal government?
These groups often opposed environmental regulations because of the costs associated with meeting them.
Who are businesses and industries?
Highly visible demonstrations can increase public awareness and make an issue more important to these decision-makers.
Who are elected officials?
The EPA's main responsibilities include setting standards, enforcing regulations, and doing this with information about environmental problems.
What is gathering and analyzing information?
The federal government establishes the same environmental standards nationwide. What is one potential advantage and one potential disadvantage of this approach?
Advantage: consistent minimum protections. Disadvantage: standards may not account for differences among states or communities
Environmental laws sometimes established ambitious goals because of strong public demand for immediate action.
What is environmental policymaking?
Environmental activism helped transform pollution from primarily a local concern into this type of political issue.
What is a national political issue?
Nixon proposed creating an agency focused specifically on this broad area of government responsibility.
What is environmental protection?
Environmental policy often requires balancing environmental protection with these concerns.
What are economic and political concerns?
Public concern can create a political opportunity for lawmakers to take action. This opportunity is known as a ____.
What is a policy window?
Before the EPA, environmental responsibilities were spread among many of these.
What are federal agencies?
Imagine you are an EPA official. Would you prioritize strict pollution limits or giving industries more flexibility in how they reduce pollution? Defend your position
According to the reading, environmental policy can be influenced by public concern, government agencies, businesses, environmental groups, and this branch of government.
What is the judiciary/courts?
Citizen-suit provisions gave members of the public and environmental groups this ability in federal court.
What is the ability to sue polluters or agencies?
When a regulatory agency becomes heavily influenced by the industries it is supposed to regulate, this is called this.
What is regulatory capture?