Intro to Environmental Policy

Catalog description

This course introduces the policy processes that have created the current system of environmental laws and regulations in the United States. In particular, the course identifies the key issues that necessitate environmental regulation, identifies the key actors involved in environmental policymaking, and examines various political-economic rationales for why some policies are implemented and others are not. The course primarily focuses on a positive examination of the policymaking process; however, it will necessarily also include discussion of important normative dilemmas including environmental justice and the role of science in the policymaking process. Each of the four areas of environmental policy-air, water, waste, and natural resources-will be discussed within the broader context of American federalism and the separation of powers. Offered regularly.