Preservation or development. A Rhetorical analysis of the American conservation debate, 1980-1984

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5435046

Short, C B

In the late 1970s, America's commitment to an ecological view of public land management was challenged by a reinvigorated conservative movement. The Sagebrush Rebellion and the New Right attempted to convince the public that environmentalism threatened the nation's well-being. This study focuses upon the recent debate over the direction of federal land policy. Examining speeches, essays, pamphlets, and other forms of persuasive discourse, the author identifies two distinct workviews at the center of the controversy. The view of the New Right, often advanced by Ronald Reagan and James Watt, envisioned a growth economy in which the market place dictated how natural resources would be allocated. An opposing ecological perspective promoted active federal management with multiple-use guidelines and environmental impact statements serving to protect the public lands from any lasting reminders of human development. The study reviews the historical and political context of the conservation debate and reveals how the debate affected the nation's view of wilderness. While conservatives argued from a human-centered view of nature emphasizing economic needs, environmentalists supported an ecological view, granting certain rights to all members of the ecosystem. An understanding of recurring rhetorical strategies illuminates the growing schism over how America's public land should be used and maintained.

• Research Organization: Indiana Univ., Bloomington (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5435046
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
LAND USE
NATURE RESERVES
ATTITUDES
PUBLIC LANDS
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
POLITICAL ASPECTS
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
MANAGEMENT
RESOURCES
290400* - Energy Planning & Policy- Energy Resources
290300 - Energy Planning & Policy- Environment
Health
& Safety