chapter 7

Question 1

Policy

Answer 1

s a formal set of plans and principles intended to
solve problems and aid decision making

Question 2

public policy

Answer 2

includes laws, regulations, orders,
incentives, and practices enacted by the various levels
of government

Question 3

environmental policy

Answer 3

specifically addresses our
interactions with the environment.

Question 4

tragedy of the commons

Answer 4

a public pasture (or “common”) would be
overexploited as individuals acting in their own best
interest increase their grazing animals

Question 5

external costs

Answer 5

are harmful impacts suffered by people not involved in
the actions that created them

Question 6

polluter-pays principle

Answer 6

internalize costs by forcing
industries to deal with these impacts.

Question 7

revolving door

Answer 7

The movement of individuals between the government and
private sector

Question 8

Cooperative federalism

Answer 8

where a federal agency sets
standards and works with state agencies to achieve
them

Question 9

Silent Spring

Answer 9

informing the public of the
ecological and health
impacts of industrial
chemicals like DDT.

Question 10

public trust
doctrine

Answer 10

holding that natural resources should be held in
trust and protected by the government.(developed by Joseph Sax)

Question 11

Clean Air Act

Answer 11

1963; amended 1970 and 1990
Sets standards for air quality,
restricts emissions from new
sources, enables citizens to sue
violators, funds research on
pollution control, and established
an emissions trading program for
sulphur dioxide. As a result, the
air we breathe today is far cleaner

Question 12

Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act

Answer 12

1976
Sets standards and permitting
procedures for the disposal of
solid waste and hazardous waste
(p. 630). Requires that the
generation, transport, and
disposal of hazardous waste be
tracked “from cradle to grave.”

Question 13

Endangered Species Act
1973

Answer 13

Seeks to protect species
threatened with extinction. Forbids
destruction of individuals of listed
species or their critical habitat on
public and private land, provides
funding for recovery efforts, and
allows negotiation with private
landholders

Question 14

Clean Water Act
1977

Answer 14

Regulates the discharge of
wastes, especially from industry,
into rivers and streams (p.
409,415). Aims to protect wildlife
and human health and has helped
to clean up U.S. waterways.

Question 15

Safe Drinking Water Act
1974

Answer 15

Authorizes the EPA to set
quality standards for tap water
provided by public water
systems and to work with states
to protect drinking water
sources from contamination

Question 16

Soil and Water Conservation Act

Answer 16

1977
Directs the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to survey and assess soil
and water conditions across the nation
and prepare conservation plans.
Responded to worsening soil erosion
and water pollution on farms and
rangeland as production intensified.

Question 17

Toxic Substances
Control Act
1976

Answer 17

Directs the EPA to monitor
thousands of industrial
chemicals and gives it power to
ban those found to pose too
much health risk (p. 384).
However, the number of
chemicals continues to increase
far too quickly for adequate
testing

Question 18

CERCLA (“Superfund”)
1980

Answer 18

Funds the Superfund program to clean
up hazardous waste at the nation’s
most polluted sites (p. 638). Costs
were initially charged to polluters but
most are now borne by taxpayers. The
EPA continues to progress through
many sites that remain. Full name is
the Comprehensive Environmental
Response Compensation and Liability
Act.

Question 19

environmental impact
statement (EIS)

Answer 19

be prepared for any major federal action
that might impact environmental quality

Question 20

Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)

Answer 20

President Nixon issued an executive order consolidating
agencies that regulated water and air quality, solid waste,
and other issues

Question 21

Green New Deal

Answer 21

is a non-binding congressional
resolution that sets ambitious goals, including a 100%
renewable power grid.

Question 22

Globalization

Answer 22

describes the increased interconnectedness
of the world’s societies

Question 23

Customary law

Answer 23

arises from long-standing practices or customs held in common by most
cultures

Question 24

Conventional law

Answer 24

arises from conventions or treaties

Question 25

United Nations (UN)

Answer 25

sponsors conferences,
coordinates treaties, and publishes research to promote
human rights and resolve global issues, including
environmental ones.

Question 26

World Bank

Answer 26

funds dams, irrigation infrastructure,
and other development projects intended to benefit low-
income people in developing countries.

Question 27

European Union (EU)

Answer 27

can sign binding treaties on
behalf of its 27 member nations and enact regulations
that have the same authority as national laws.

Question 28

World Trade Organization (WTO)

Answer 28

represents
multinational corporations and can impose financial
penalties on nations that do not comply with its directives

Question 29

Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)

Answer 29

apply funding
and expertise to environmental problems

Question 30

Command-and-control

Answer 30

policy is an approach where the
regulating agency (such as the E PA) prohibits certain actions
or sets limits, with punishment for violations

Question 31

green tax

Answer 31

A tax on an environmentally harmful activity or product

Question 32

subsidy

Answer 32

a government giveaway of money or
resources that is intended to support or promote an
industry or activity.

Question 33

tax breaks

Answer 33

Subsidies often take the form of tax breaks

Question 34

Emissions trading

Answer 34

is a system where the government
creates a market of permits for the emission of pollutants.

Question 35

cap-and-trade

Answer 35

companies buy and sell a
limited number of permits among themselves, creating
a financial incentive to reduce the number of permits
needed by individual companies