DBA 1

Energy policy and environmental policy are inextricably related. When crafting energy
policy, the federal government must give a full environmental report to show the
environmental implications of that policy. With the creation of the Environmental
Protection Agency, there have been greater regulations placed on corporations and more
hoops to jump through when crafting environmental policy. The Environmental Protection
Agency now requires that they conduct their own environmental impact report to ensure
that it is truly unbiased. This is then submitted to the subcommittees that are working on
crafting the bill to make the necessary edits before floor debates commence (Peters, 2015,
394-395). This is a specific requirement for all policy, but more specifically for policy
surrounding energy policies that are regarding ventures that could have a large pollutant
output or carbon footprint like fracking, coal mining, natural gas, and nuclear power.
Environmental policy can actually be an incredibly aid when it comes to renewable energy
policy. One of the largest energy policy initiatives under the Obama administration was the
expansion of solar energy in the Southwest of the United States. Although there are already
many solar energy farms in the Southwest, particularly in Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada,
they are usually out in the desert and urban areas are an untapped market for solar farming.
So, the Obama Administration worked with the Environmental Protection Agency to put
together an environmental report detailing the impact of putting solar panels on the tops of
large buildings in urban centers, including the many buildings that make up Arizona State
University. Because of this impact report, the policy process was streamlined and was
instituted fairly quickly thanks to the preexisting laws in many Southwestern states which
favored solar farming and underwent some modifications to fit the needs of solar farming in
urban centers.

DBA-2

I will be advising Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on the regulations involved with fracking.
No companies have enacted fracking in Arizona yet, but there are some companies
considering a move to Arizona and fracking is their method of choice. I am recommending
that Governor Doug Ducey assist in passing legislation that would require a company that
wants to use Arizona land for fracking to disclose the composition of the fracking liquid and
to pass a ban on chemicals that pose a threat to public threat. I will advise Governor Ducey
to push especially hard for the banning of harmful chemicals because according to Business
Insider, there have multiple reports from Oklahoma and Texas about earthquakes caused by
fracking and fields that are spewing methane and could soon infect the groundwater wells,
a major source of water for many Texans (Berke, 2016, 1 ). A study published in Nature
Magazine also found that “43% of the analyzed chemicals have reproductive toxicity, and
are linked to problems including birth defects, infertility, reduced semen quality, and
miscarriages. 40% of the analyzed chemicals pose problems for developmental health,
which can stunt fetal development and may cause premature or delayed sexual
development later in life” (Berke, 2016, 1). This is particularly worrisome because the
chemicals from fracking could not only harm people who are currently living, but could also
have long term negative effects on the future generation of citizens. Reproductive toxicity
and fetal disorders are both serious conditions and should be included in the crafting of
legislation. Additionally, disclosing the components of fracking liquid not only helps
scientists and lawmakers figure out which chemicals to ban, but also increases the
company’s transparency and public trust in the government and the company in question.
Many people do not know what fracking is and the ones who do don’t have enough
information to make fully rational decisions. By giving them this information freely, the
public can form informed decisions about fracking and fracking policy.

DBA 3

One of the main issues with implementing cost-benefits analysis to environmental issues
and policy is the gravity of the issues that are being addressed. Environmental issues
inevitably affect every single person not just in the United States, but potentially the whole
world. Climate change is a large and looming problem that is unfortunately being ignored by
the current administration, but it is a very real problem which I believe cannot be subject to
a cost benefit analysis. Most of the measures that have been enabled have been expensive,
but if we are looking at the cost benefit analysis, the benefits far out weigh the costs
because it is helping slowly rectify the issue of climate change with regulations such as
pollution measures on large factories. Another reason that cost-benefit analysis is often
criticized when associated with environmental issues and policy is because often times
environmental issues are also issues of public health. One of the first major pieces of
environmental legislation was with regards to the use of DET, commonly known as deet, in
pesticides. Rachel Carson was the one who broke the story in her novel, Silent Spring, and it
became a national sensation. In this case, legislation was passed very quickly with little to no
cost benefit analysis because pesticides were soon categorized as a public health crisis and
they could cause very serious damage to people’s health. Because of mounting public
pressure, the legislation was pushed through fairly quickly considering the pace of the policy
process. In this case and in many cases where health is a serious concern like with oil spills
and chemical contamination, there is often mounting public pressure as well demanding a
change so creating a cost benefit analysis is a step that will further delay that legislation. I
do believe that cost benefits analyses are necessary, but sometimes they are another road
block when it comes to environmental legislation and issues.

References

Lee, S. (2017, January 20). Hydraulic Fracturing: Regulation by State vs. Federal
Government? Retrieved from https://gelr.org/2016/12/27/hydraulic-fracturing-regulation-by-
state-vs-federal-government/

Berke, J. (2016, January 06). We're finding out more and more about the worrisome link
between fracking and health. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.in/Were-finding-
out-more-and-more-about-the-worrisome-link-between-fracking-and-
health/articleshow/50475103.cms

Peters, B. G. (2015). American public policy: Promise and performance. Los Angeles, CA:
SAGE | CQ Press.