Sara R. Rinfret

Ecological modernisation, American style

The United States lags behind European countries in adopting ecological modernisation policies and practices. Ecological modernisation (EM), as it has been developed in the EU, emphasises industrial efficiency and technological development in order to move beyond the perceived conflict between economic development and environmental quality. Despite early attempts by individuals and groups to promote such ideas in the United States, both governments and industry remained threatened by its discourse while it spread in Europe. More recently, however, the US appears more open to its own form of ecological modernisation, with some unique additions to the discourse. This paper examines this growing and increasingly popular US version of ecological modernisation, which incorporates two concepts generally absent from earlier European conceptions of EM – national security and blatant consumerism. We then turn to the limitations of such a discourse, and conclude with suggestions for how the framing of EM in the US could be broadened and strengthened.

Controlling animals: power, foucault, and species management.

Environmental theorists have used Foucaults work on biopolitics, governmentality, and disciplinary power to examine nature conservation and domesticated animals. This article applies Foucaults studies to evaluate how current species management practices for the reintroduction of the grizzly bear, wolf, whooping crane, and condor create animals and landscapes that are simultaneously docile and useful in the context of the tourist economy. This analysis concludes that managers need to acknowledge that using sophisticated technologies (i.e., geographic positioning systems [GPS]) for species management is, ironically, creating a “wild” animal that is constructed by human means and desires.

Behind the Shadows: Interests, Influence, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This article analyzes the influence of interest groups on the pre-proposal stage of the administrative rulemaking process. Kingdons (1984, 2003) multiple streams model is used as a descriptive framework to structure an examination of interview data collected for three natural resource cases: (a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) critical habitat designation for Nebraskas Salt Creek Tiger Beetle; (b) the USFWS critical habitat designation for Utah/Arizona Shivwits and Holmgren Milk Vetches; and (c) the USFWS delisting of the Northern Rocky Gray Wolf population from the endangered species list. The analysis provides support to argue that interest groups are using particular tactics that reflect Kingdon-like elements to influence the pre-proposal stage.

A revised look: EPA rulemaking processes

Scholars have not analyzed the decision-making processes (i.e., administrative rulemaking) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in great detail since the 1990s. Therefore, this paper uses original interview data to examine a contemporary case, the EPA’s Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule, to offer an up to date perspective on how the agency produces rules. This paper argues that, at the very least, the EPA’s Climate Change Division, part of the Office of Air and Radiation is a quintessential example of effective outreach across all of the stages of administrative rulemaking. The findings from these interviews suggest that understanding the process the EPA uses to produce environmental regulations is particularly relevant for practitioners, politicians, and scholars. Therefore, we suggest that scholars should use this research as a baseline for future scholarship about the rulemaking processes of the EPA.

Simulating City Councils: Increasing Student Awareness and Involvement

As state capitals and city halls influence our daily lives, how can students become active participants in the affairs of their communities (Saffell and Basehart 2009 )? For students to explore this question and local policy making in general, I developed a city council simulation for a state and local government course. This article describes the details of this city council simulation so that it can be easily replicated. Moreover, the goal is for students to move beyond classroom lectures and become more informed participants of local policy making.

Cleaning Up the Air: The EPA and Shuttle Diplomacy

In practice, building collaborative relationships between environmental groups and industry is not an easy task during environmental rulemaking. However, this article uses original interview data to document a different perspective from agency officials and stakeholders across two case studies within the Environmental Protection Agencys Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ): the renewable fuels standard and the locomotive and marine engine rule. This article argues that OTAQ used a new approach, shuttle diplomacy, in these particular cases to negotiate stakeholder differences prior to publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The findings from these interviews suggest that the intent of this rule development approach is to provide an atmosphere where stakeholders begin to trust in the process because they are helping to create it.

Understanding the Regulatory Thicket: Interactions Among State Environmental Regulators and Regulatees

ABSTRACT Research exploring state-level regulatory interactions in the U.S. often employs survey methodology to ask front-line actors about their experiences. While these efforts are noteworthy, we argue that it is important to investigate these interactions utilizing a different approach. In this exploratory study, we use randomized vignettes, to which a respondent can react without fear of revealing practices or succumbing to social desirability. Our results are in concert with a growing body of literature that suggests cooperation between the regulator and regulatees is essential for future interactions in order to achieve compliance, yet each party’s perceptions may not be completely congruent.

Understanding Public Policy Making through the Work of Committees: Utilizing a Student-Led Congressional Hearing Simulation

In an effort to help students better understand the complexity of making environmental policy and the role of policy actors in this process, we developed a mock congressional hearing simulation. In this congressional hearing, students in two environmental policy courses take on the roles of members of Congress and various interest groups to examine the issue of hydraulic fracturing (or fracking). Here, we describe the details of the mock congressional hearing and discuss some of our reflections about the simulation. Our students have responded well to the inclusion of this simulation and we have found it very effective in achieving the learning outcomes for the students. We argue that this simulation could be easily replicated in various policy courses on a variety of topics.

Experiential Learning and Pathways to Carbon Neutrality

To date, more than 650 university presidents across the United States have become signatories of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). A central goal of being a signatory is for a campus to achieve carbon neutrality. This article suggests that bringing the practice of experiential learning to the college classroom is a mechanism to help students understand and become involved in campus carbon-neutrality efforts. More specifically, it discusses the practical realities of using an undergraduate environmental-policy course to create policy proposals for our campus’s 2020 carbon-neutrality goal. The findings support a growing body of literature that demonstrates the value of experiential learning by enabling students to move from

The NPS and Ossification: Does It Still Exist?

ABSTRACT The US notice and comment rulemaking process has often been considered ossified or broken, but recent scholarship has questioned this claim. To address this disagreement, we use McGarity’s (1992) ossification argument as a descriptive framework to structure an examination of interview data from three National Park Service rules: (1) Yellowstone National Park Rule, (2) Areas of the National Park System, Grand Canyon National Park Rule, and (3) the Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook Unit, Personal Watercraft Use Rule. We offer qualitative insights into what drives the longevity of NPS rulemaking, including analytical, scientific review, and substantive review requirements.