The Life Cycles of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency : 1970 - 2035

In 1970, due to increasing public concern about the environment, a dramatic series of bipartisan actions were taken to expand the national government's efforts to control pollutants. In that year, the Congress and President Nixon established two key federal agencies to address the nation's growing environmental problems: the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But despite this initial recognition of the pressing problems presented by environmental degradation, support for related policymaking and administration waxed and waned over the next thirty-five years, as other domestic and foreign policy problems rose to the top of the public and legislative agendas. What does the future hold for environmental policy in the United States, given the highly polarized politics surrounding the issue today? In this book, James K. Conant and Peter J. Balint examine what happened to the CEQ and EPA between 1970 and 2010 by using changes in leadership and budgetary resources as key indicators of the agencies' vitality and capacity for implementing pollution control laws. They also examine correlations between the agencies' fortunes and various social, political, and economic variables. The authors conclude with several scenarios about what the future holds for these important environmental agencies. In This Book, James K. Conant And Peter J. Balint Examine What Happened To The Ceq And Epa Between 1970 And 2010 By Using Changes In Leadership And Budgetary Resources As Key Indicators Of The Agencies' Vitality And Capacity For Implementing Pollution Control Laws. They Also Examine Correlations Between The Agencies' Fortunes And Various Social, Political, And Economic Variables. The Authors Conclude With Several Scenarios About What The Future Holds For These Important Environmental Agencies. Environmental Politics, Policy, And Administration In The United States -- The National Environmental Policy Act Of 1969, The Rise Of Environmental Protection In The 1970s, And The Political Drama Of The Next Three Decades -- Lifecycle Models Of Organizations -- The Council On Environmental Quality, 1970-2010 -- The Environmental Protection Agency, 1970-2010 -- Comparing The Paths Of The Ceq And The Epa And Assessing The Lifecycle Models -- The Future Of The Ceq And The Epa, 2015-2035. James K. Conant And Peter J. Balint. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 Preface and Acknowledgments 10 1. Environmental Politics, Policy, and Administration in the United States 16 2. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Rise of Environmental Protection in the 1970s, and the Political Drama of the Next Three Decades 28 3. Life Cycle Models of Organizations 43 4. The Council on Environmental Quality: 1970–2010 67 5. The Environmental Protection Agency: 1970–2010 86 6. Comparing the Paths of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency and Assessing the Life Cycle Models 117 7. The Future of the Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency: 2015–2035 136 Postscript: Sustainability and the Environmental Protection Agency 157 Appendix 1 168 Appendix 2 177 Notes 180 Bibliography 198 Index 206 In this book, James K. Conant and Peter J. Balint examine the trajectory of environmental policy and administration in the United States by looking at the development of the CEQ and EPA. They look at changes in budgetary and staffing resources over time as well as the role of quality of leadership as key indicators of capacity and vitality. As well, they make correlations between the agencies' fortunes and various social, political, and economic variables The Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency have experienced volatile life histories. In this book, using political history, theoretical models, and empirical analysis.