Chapter 24 Environmental Policy, Law,
and Planning
24.1 Basic Concepts In Policy
• Basic principles guide policy
• Policy formation follows predictable steps
24.2 Major Environmental Laws
• NEPA (1969) establishes public oversight
• The Clean Air Act (1970) regulates air emissions
• The Clean Water Act (1972) protects surface
water
• The Endangered Species Act (1973) protects
wildlife
• The Superfund Act (1980) lists hazardous sites
• What’s the Proper Role for Government?
24.3 How Policies Are Made
• Public awareness influences policy
• Statutory laws are passed by a legislative body
• The judicial branch decides case law
– Case Law is British/American
• What does “Free Speech” mean?
– French System: Extremely Explicit Laws
• Executive rules are administrative laws
– Laws Creating Agencies Give Them Authority to
Make Regulations
24.4 International Treaties And
Conventions
• New approaches can make treaties effective
• International governance has been
controversial
• Will globalization bring better environmental
governance?
24.5 Dispute Resolution And Planning
• Adaptive management introduces science to
planning
• Resilience is important in ecosystems and
institutions
• Arbitration and mediation can help settle
disputes
• Community-based planning can help solve
environmental problems
• Some nations have developed green plans
• Data Analysis: Examine Your Environmental Laws
General Observations on Policy
• Every Regulation or Movement is a Reaction
to an Abuse
• The Problem in Politics is Everyone is Telling
the Truth About the Opposition
• Ignore a Problem, it Will Go Away. Then it Will
Come Up Behind You and Have You for Lunch
• If You Don’t Address a Problem, Someone Will
Address it for You
• There is no Right to an Uninformed Opinion
• Facts Are Not Democratic