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Implementing Environmental Policy and Regulations: Where the Rubber Meets the Road

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US Environmental Policy in Action

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Abstract

Crucial to understanding environmental policy on the front-lines is investigating how environmental policy is implemented. This chapter turns to the regulatory environment and begins by discussing the nature of command and control regulations and how they endeavor to implement environmental policy. In particular, we draw connections from earlier chapters as we discuss the governing and economic contexts that shape the implementation of environmental policy. In this chapter, we highlight the role of environmental inspectors, particularly those inspectors at the state level. These inspectors are the governmental officials who are responsible for the implementation of environmental regulation every day. We look at who these individuals are, what their experiences are like, and their challenges. This discussion helps illustrate the individuals who are responsible from protecting the environment on a daily basis.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are, of course, exceptions to the general policy of unannounced inspections. Facilities with extensive security measures in place frequently require advanced notice of an inspection. For example, many U.S. Department of Defense facilities require security clearances to be on site, so inspectors have little choice but to notify the facility in advance of their arrivals.

  2. 2.

    It is worth noting that states vary in their organizational responses to environmental protection. Some states have multiple agencies that are responsible for environmental concerns (e.g., a Department of Environmental Quality and a Department of Natural Resources), whereas other states have one comprehensive agency. The majority of states that participated in our study have multiple agencies and a few (e.g., Wisconsin and New York) have a single comprehensive agency.

  3. 3.

    It is often thought that environmental regulators can act like Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors, who do retain some powers—again in extreme circumstances—to shut down a facility if violations are found.  This is not the case with environmental inspectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA

    Sara R. Rinfret

  2. University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA

    Michelle C. Pautz

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  1. Sara R. Rinfret
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  2. Michelle C. Pautz
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Correspondence to Sara R. Rinfret .

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Rinfret, S.R., Pautz, M.C. (2019). Implementing Environmental Policy and Regulations: Where the Rubber Meets the Road. In: US Environmental Policy in Action. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11316-2_7

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