Court-agency interaction in environmental policymaking: the cases of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency
This study examines the increasingly active participation of courts in the administrative process as well as agency responses to court-imposed policy shifts. More specifically, it is an investigation of the interaction between the federal courts, primarily the Supreme Court and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and two federal regulatory agencies, the Nuclar Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. There are five objectives to the study. The first is to examine the natura of court-agency interaction and to determine the extent to which patterns of judicial review of administrative actions can be discerned. The second is to examine the effect of court orders on agency programs and policies. The third is to assess the anticipatory dimension of court-agency relations. The fourth is to inquire into the recurring dimension of court-agency interaction and to determine its effect on subsequent court decisions. The last is to assess the institutional capacity of courts to deal with scientific and technological issues. This study indicates that judicial review has a substantial effect on the NRC's and the EPA's decision-making activities. Few, if any, recent major policy decisions of the two agencies have not been scrutinized closely by federal appellate courts. During the past decade, the courts have blocked policy initiative on numerous occasions and have been the primary source of change in others. In addition, the mere anticipation of judicial review was found to be a factor motivating the two agencies to make reasoned decisions.
- OSTI ID:
- 6731023
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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