Pollution, politics, and policy: Implementation of hazardous waste policy through the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:6985525

Keefe, J M

This work is a critical examination of the public policies designed to ameliorate the environmental threat associated with hazardous waste pollution. Public policies in this area have been defined by conflict over the political and social benefits of environmental protection along with the distribution of the political and social costs of changing the way in which waste is handled. A framework for policy implementation is presented. The framework is used to examine the public record on the passage of hazardous waste legislation, the administrative attempts to implement the legislation, the political struggle surrounding implementation, and the resulting changes in the way hazardous waste implementation should be more likely to fail than to succeed. The policy goals fit into three different categories. The first category involves improving the recovery of energy and other resources from waste, the second category involves the safe disposal of waste, and the third category involves regulating the management of waste disposal. Despite extremely limited improvements in safe waste disposal and in regulating waste management, several failures have overwhelmed the nation's attempts to control the excesses of industrial production. Hazardous waste policy has failed to reduce the generation of hazardous waste, the original primary goal of the program. Hazardous waste policy has also failed to control unsafe waste disposal practices at federal facilities as well as failing to address the distributional consequences of waste policy. Since hazardous waste production continues unabated, the benefits of the policy have accured to those citizens who have effectively organized to insure that their own communities do not have waste facilities. The costs of the policy, in terms of health risks and quality of life, have been borne disproportionately by those whose are unaware of the consequences or by those who have lack the political influence to stop pollution of their community.

• Research Organization: Northwestern Univ., Chicago, IL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 6985525
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
CONTROL
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
IMPLEMENTATION
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
POLLUTION CONTROL
PUBLIC POLICY
RESOURCE RECOVERY ACTS
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
WASTE MANAGEMENT