EE320: U.S. Environmental Policy

CAS GE425 - CAS EE320

U.S. Environmental Policy

Spring 2004

Instructor:	Prof. Ian Sue Wing
Office location:	Center for Energy & Environmental Studies (CEES) 675 Commonwealth Ave. Rm. 141G
Email:	isw@bu.edu
Office Hours:	4 - 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, other times by appointment only
Class times and location:	3 - 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, CAS 201
Course Objectives:	This course surveys the key environmental policies and regulations in the United States since regulation by exploring U.S. environmental policies and the social forces and institutions that shape them.
Prerequisite courses:	CAS EC101 Introductory Microeconomic Analysis CAS GG100 Introduction to Environmental Science
Teaching/learning style:	This is a reading- and writing-intensive seminar course. The concepts will be delivered in lecture format. It is important that students do the assigned reading before the lecture, and reflect upon it to facilitate their own understanding. To be effective, students should think about the major points in each reading, and try to relate these to the big-picture concepts and questions in the lectures.
Assignments and grades:	3 short (5-7 page) papers 60% (20% each) Final (2-3 page) prospectus + (10-15 page) paper 30% Class participation 10%
Absences/lateness:	Attending lectures is mandatory and participation is required. If you know you are going to miss class and have a valid reason for doing so (i.e., illness or emergency), please notify me by email ahead of time. Absences and lateness will incur loss of the participation component of the final grade. Assignments are due at the beginning of class and will incur a 50% grade penalty if turned in late.
Academic honesty:	Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Student academic misconduct is clearly explained in the CAS Academic Conduct Code: http://www.cs.bu.edu/students/conduct.html Students should feel free to discuss the assignments, but providing to other students, or accepting from them printed or electronic copies of their writings related to assignments is academic dishonesty. Copying text, tables, or graphs from printed materials or the internet and incorporating such material into papers without attribution is plagiarism. Any student found guilty of academic misconduct will be subject to disciplinary action by the College of Arts and Sciences.
Copyrights, and use of class materials for commercial gain:	The syllabus, course descriptions, and handouts created for this course, and all class lectures, are copyrighted by Boston University and/or Professor Sue Wing. Except with respect to enrolled students as set forth below, the materials and lectures may not be reproduced in any form or otherwise copied, displayed or distributed, nor should works derived from them be reproduced, copied, displayed or distributed without my written permission. Infringement of the copyright in these materials, including any sale or commercial use of notes, summaries, outlines or other reproductions of lectures, constitutes a violation of the copyright laws and is prohibited. Students enrolled in the course are allowed to share with other enrolled students course materials, notes, and other writings based on the course materials and lectures, but may not do so on a commercial basis or otherwise for payment of any kind. Please note in particular that selling or buying class notes, lecture notes or summaries, or similar materials both violates copyright and interferes with the academic mission of the College, and is therefore prohibited in this class and will be considered a violation of the student code of responsibility that is subject to academic sanctions.

Main texts available at BU Bookstore:

1. Portney, P. (2001). Public Policies for Environmental Protection, Washington DC: RFF Press.

2. Field, B.C. (2001). Environmental Economics: An Introduction, New York: McGraw-Hill.

3. Vig, N.G. and M.E. Kraft (2002). Environmental Policy: New Directions for the Twenty-first Century, Washington DC: CQ Press.

4. Rosenbaum, W.A. (2002). Environmental Politics and Policy, Washington DC: CQ Press.

Supplemental texts available online:

1. American Chemical Society and Resources For the Future (1998), Understanding Risk Analysis: A Short Guide for Health, Safety and Environmental Policy Making.

2. Rothenberg, L.S. (2002). Environmental Choices: Policy Responses to Green Demands, Washington DC: CQ Press.

Ch. 2 "Environmental Action, Environmental Caution: The Case for Government Intervention"

Ch. 3 "A Brief History of U.S. Environmental Policy"

3. Wilson, J.D. (1996). Resolving the "Delaney Paradox": Congress Resets the Table for Pesticides on Food, Resources 125: 14-17.

4. Wilson, J.D. and J.W. Anderson (1997). What the Science Says: How We Use It and Abuse It to Make Health and Environmental Policy, Resources 128: 5-8.

5. Paehlke, R. (2001). Room for Doubt, Nature 410: 151.

6. Kates, R.W. and W.C. Clark (1996). Environmental Surprise: Expecting the Unexpected, Environment 38(2): 6-11, 28-34.

7. Foster, K.R., P. Vecchia, and M.H. Repacholi (2000). Science and the Precautionary Principle, Science 288(5468): 979-981.

8. Stavins, R.N. (2001). Lessons from the American Experiment with Market-Based Environmental Policies, John F. Kennedy School of Government Faculty Research Working Paper No. RWP01-032.

Syllabus:

Mon. Jan. 12	Course Introduction
	I. The Environment: Shifting Perceptions
Wed. Jan. 14	The long view of history	Rothenberg Ch. 3
Fri. Jan. 16	Recent history	Vig & Kraft Ch. 1
	II. Policy: Economic and Political Principles
Mon. Jan. 19	* MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY *
Wed. Jan. 21	Environmental problems as governance problems	Andrews Ch. 1
		Rothenberg Ch. 2
	* HOMEWORK 1 DISTRIBUTED *
Fri. Jan. 23	Writing camp
Mon. Jan. 26	Environmental economics I	Field Ch. 3, 4
Wed. Jan. 28	Environmental economics II	Field Ch. 5, 6
Fri. Jan. 30	Policy evaluation and cost-benefit analysis	Field Ch. 9
Mon. Feb. 2	Command-and-control	Field Ch. 11
Wed. Feb. 4	Taxes and subsidies	Field Ch. 12
	* HOMEWORK 1 DUE *
Fri. Feb. 6	Tradable permits	Field Ch. 13
Mon. Feb. 9	Economics and the politics of regulation I	Vig & Kraft Ch. 9
Wed. Feb. 11	Economics and the politics of regulation II	Rosenbaum Ch. 2
	* HOMEWORK 2 DISTRIBUTED *
Fri. Feb. 13	Economics and the politics of regulation III	Rosenbaum Ch. 5
	III. The Institutions of Policy Making
Mon. Feb. 16	* PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY *
Tue. Feb. 17	Interest groups and public opinion	Vig & Kraft Ch. 4
		Rosenbaum Ch. 1
Wed. Feb. 18	The Constitution	Andrews Ch. 4
Fri. Feb. 20	The Congress	Vig & Kraft Ch. 6
Mon. Feb. 23	The Presidency	Vig & Craft Ch. 5
Wed. Feb. 25	The Courts	Vig & Kraft Ch. 7
	* HOMEWORK 2 DUE *
Fri. Feb. 27	The Environmental Protection Agency I	Portney Ch. 2
Mon. Mar. 1	The Environmental Protection Agency II	Vig & Kraft Ch. 8
Wed. Mar. 3	State and local governments	Field Ch. 17
		Vig & Kraft Ch. 2
	* HOMEWORK 3 DISTRIBUTED *
Fri. Mar. 5	* NO CLASS *
	IV. Key Elements of U.S. Environmental Policy
Mon. Mar. 8 - Fri. Mar. 12	* SPRING BREAK *
Mon. Mar. 15	Clean air I	Field Ch. 15
		Rosenbaum Ch. 6
Wed. Mar. 17	Clean air II	Portney Ch. 4
Fri. Mar. 19	Clean water I	Field Ch. 14
Mon. Mar. 22	Clean water II	Portney Ch. 6
	* HOMEWORK 3 DUE *
	* FINAL PAPER TOPICS DISTRIBUTED *
Wed. Mar. 24	Hazardous waste and toxic substances I	Field Ch. 16
		Rosenbaum Ch. 7
Fri. Mar. 26	Hazardous waste and toxic substances II	Portney Ch. 7
Mon. Mar. 29	Solid waste	Portney Ch. 8
Wed. Mar. 31	Land and natural resources	Vig & Kraft Ch. 14
		Rosenbaum Ch. 9
Fri. Apr. 2	International Agreements I	Field Ch. 20, 21
Mon. Apr. 5	International Agreements II	Portney Ch. 5
		Vig & Kraft Ch. 13
	V. Ongoing Dilemmas, New Challenges
Wed. Apr. 7	Uncertainty and surprise	Paehlke (2001)
		Wilson & Andrews (1997)
		Wilson (1996)
		Kates & Clark (1992)
	* FINAL PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE *
Fri. Apr. 9	Scientific assessment and policy making	Rosenbaum Ch. 4
Mon. Apr. 12	Characterizing environmental risks	ACS/RFF (1998)
Wed. Apr. 14	Dealing (badly) with environmental risks	Vig & Kraft Ch. 10
		Foster et al (2000)
Fri. Apr. 16	Market-oriented regulatory strategies	Portney Ch. 3
		Stavins (2001)
Wed. Apr. 21	Global issues and U.S. environmental diplomacy	Field Ch. 19
		Rosenbaum Ch. 10
Fri. Apr. 23	Trade and the environment	Vig & Kraft Ch. 16
Mon. Apr. 26	Sustainable development: from here to where?	Vig & Kraft Chs. 12, 17
Wed. Apr. 28	Course wrap-up
	* FINAL PAPER DUE *