Weekly Assignment #3

My Op-Ed

In the early 1970’s environmental issues became a major political agenda in the United States (Vig, 1). Over the past few decades, public concern on environment issues has increased. However, environmental issues have not remained consistently at the top of the federal agenda. There are three areas that have had an influence on environmental policy since the 1970’s:

• The Office of the President
• Domestic and International Events
• Availability of Information

The Office of the President

The Office of the President has the power to make appointments of cabinet members, propose budgets, and oversee regulatory processes (Vig, 101). Additionally, the President has a major role in setting the Federal agenda (Vig, 101). The U.S. has had eight different presidents since 1970. Under each administration, the emphasis on environmental policy has varied.

During the Nixon Administration the focus was on environmental protection. Major strides were made in “air and water pollution control, pesticide regulation, endangered species protection, control of hazardous and toxic wastes, ocean and coastline protection,” etc (Vig, 13).

Under the Carter Administration, the focus was on environmental conservation. National wilderness and national park system protection expanded during this time (Vig, 13).

Energy independence was a top item of concern during the Nixon, Ford, and Carter Administrations (Vig, 14). There was little political or public support during this era on pursuing energy independence, therefore the item did not make its way onto the Federal agenda.

Under President Reagan, environmental policy progression was slowed. There was a period of economic decline during this time. President Reagan passed legislation to reduce income tax and cut spending for environmental and social programs (Vig, 104). Through the budgetary cuts, the Reagan Administration was able to cut personnel of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) was cut (Vig, 105). Additional, Reagan appointed officials who would support his anti-environmental stance (Vig, 105). The public concern over environmental issues grew during this time. During Reagan’s presidency, the U.S. was faced with the cold war and some tough economic times.

During the George H. W. Bush Administration, President Bush attempted to distance himself from the Reagan Administration’s stance on environmental policy. He appointed environmental leaders to positions in his administration (Vig, 106). Additionally, he passed the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. President Bush did not make strides on international environmental policy by threatening to boycott the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Vig, 107). He also refused to sign the Convention on Biological Diversity. During the Bush Administration, we were faced with the first Gulf War and a small decline in the economy.

The Clinton Administration made many environmental campaign promises. President Clinton’s appointments to environmental positions gained support of the environmental community (Vig, 108). During his first term, his environmental agenda did not gain much support from Congress, as President Clinton failed to gain support of environmentalists on key areas (Vig, 109). President Clinton used his presidential powers of budgeting and regulatory oversight to toughen environmental protection (Vig, 110). Additionally, the Clinton Administration strengthened the EPA, took measures to protect public lands, and to protect endangered species (Vig, 110).

The George W. Bush Administration initially focused on environmental issues at the beginning of his first term. However, shortly after he took office the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks occurred. This shifted the agenda and minimized environmental issues on the Federal agenda (Vig, 82). The majority of the Bush Administration was focused on national security, the war in Iraq, operations in Afghanistan, and the declining economy. Although President Bush attempted to cut the budget for environmental agencies, Congress would not allow this to occur and the EPA’s budget actually increased during his first term.

At the beginning of 2009, the Obama Administration was faced with an economic depression and a large increase in unemployment. Within the first few weeks of taking office, President Obama focused on developing new energy and improving environmental matters. Unfortunately, the emphasis on environmental matters would lose focus during President Obama’s first term. First, the economy continued to decline that led to record percentage of unemployment. Second, the President was faced with the task of ending the war in Iraq and continuing efforts in Afghanistan. Third, the increased threat of international nuclear weapons development became a focus of the Obama Administration. The focal point on these areas led to a change in agenda during President Obama’s first term. This led to budget cuts on developing new energy and on environmental policy issues, in order to focus on other agenda items.

Domestic and International Events

Since 1970 we have experienced wartime, terrorist attacks, and most recently an economic depression. These types of events have had a dramatic impact on the Federal agenda. This has led to budget cuts and asset reallocation to different areas of emphasis and has left environmental policy at a disadvantage. Although there is public support for pushing environmental matters, there are other items placed above this policy issue on the Federal agenda.

Availability of Information

Since the late 1990’s, the spread of the Internet and mass media has had a tremendous impact on environmental issues (Vig, 95). First, information traveled quickly and was available to mass audiences. Second, the media focused on environmental issues like “global warming”. Finally, the political positions of our public servants were readily accessible. This development changed the method in which the average person had access to information. This has led to a more informed public and the ability to make more knowledgeable voting decisions.

Over the past few decades, the United States has experienced various forms of agenda setting on environmental issues. The spread of the Internet and the media’s focus on environmental policy has brought awareness to the public. Domestic and international issues have hindered some of the progress in environmental policy setting at the Federal level. Over the past six months, the economic outlook has been on an upswing and the unemployment rate is at its lowest in three years. President Obama has reemphasized environmental policy issues as being at the top of his agenda during his second term.

Reference:

Vig, N. and M. Kraft, Eds . (2005). Environmental Policy: New Directions for the 21st Century, CQ Press.