Environmental Politics

At every stage, environmental policy is the result of the struggle of stakeholders interested in, and affected by, the problem being addressed and the range of possible solutions. The interested parties in any given policy dispute may include federal regulatory agencies, environmental advocacy groups, businesses and their lobbying arms, the media, the scientific community, think tanks, NGOs of every stripe, trade associations and professional organizations, and even state and local governments, each of whom have their own interests in the resulting policy. Environmental Politics: Stakeholders, Interests, and Policymaking discusses political battles over the environment from the ground level - as they are fought in legislative chambers, the cloakroom, the daily newspaper, on television, and on the Internet. The text explores environmental politics as a clash of interests, not ideologies, and environmental policy as a result of the reconciliation of those interests. The casebook emphasizes the struggle for power among stakeholders in environmental politics and policymaking. Whether examining energy policy, air pollution, endangered species, land use, or the politics of food, each case is presented through a narrative introduction and 3-4 primary source documents that illustrate whose interests are at stake and how they pursue them in the policymaking process.