Environmental Policy and Politics - Softcover

Praise for the Seventh Edition

After decades of leadership in fighting air, water, and other environmental pollutants at home and abroad, the United States is on the brink of reversing course under the new Trump administration. The timing couldn’t be more ominous, given the world-wide effort to moderate the potentially ravaging effects of a changing climate. The new edition of Environmental Policy and Politics by the eminent scholar, Michael Kraft, conveys better than any other text the story of how US leadership evolved within a democratic society; the legal and policy environmental protection framework erected at the federal, state, and local level across the nation; and how it is being threatened today. It is critical reading for students of environmental policy, as well as those interested in America’s evolution to the current about-face in policy and its dire implications.

Daniel A. Mazmanian, University of Southern California

I use Michael Kraft's Environmental Policy and Politics as the foundation for my course on environment and energy. Authoritative and comprehensive, the book excellently captures the complexity and significance of the issues. From laws and institutions to processes and analysis, it presents an outstanding guide to the world of contemporary policy and politics.

Daniel Fiorino, American University

Michael Kraft’s Environmental Policy and Politics is a well-known and oft-used classic among environmental policy and politics scholars. This new edition sustains that tradition of excellence by once again utilizing a multi-disciplinary approach as a means of making the highly complex and dynamic world of environmental policy and politics accessible to students and scholars alike. Most importantly, Kraft adeptly deconstructs the politicized nature of our modern environmental discourse in a manner that challenges students to critically assess their preconceived understanding of what is meant by the term "environmentalism."

Robert E. Forbis, Jr., Texas Tech University

This timely new edition of Environmental Policy and Politics explains the scientific, political, and ideological factors that shape environmental and natural resource policy. Michael Kraft ably covers this controversial area’s essential history and key political questions, moving from the local to the global, and offers a roadmap for solving the challenges that remain. The book strikes the balance between depth and breadth, giving instructors a chance to pick and choose areas to highlight in their courses.

Robert Duffy, Colorado State University

With Environmental Policy and Politics, Michael Kraft provides an invaluable public service by introducing students to the theoretical and practical complexities of these fields. This latest edition builds thoughtfully on previous work and offers a valuable foundation for anyone who wants to better understand and constructively engage these issues.

Barry Rabe, University of Michigan

Covering global threats such as climate change, population growth, and loss of biodiversity, as well as national, state, and local problems of environmental pollution, energy use, and natural resource use and conservation, Environmental Policy and Politics provides a comprehensive overview of U.S. policymaking processes, the legislative and administrative settings for policy decisions, the role of interest groups and public opinion in environmental politics, and the public policies that result. It helps readers understand modern environmental policy and its implications, including the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach to problem-solving.

• Each chapter includes the latest information about environmental challenges and governmental responses to them, with extensive citation of sources and websites that allow students to find the most recent studies and reports.
• Each chapter covers key political and policy decisions through early 2017, including presidential appointments, budgetary decisions, major legislative initiatives, and congressional actions.
• Each chapter introduction includes new statements about learning objectives to facilitate student understanding of key concepts and their applications, arguments advanced over environmental challenges and policies, and the goals and methods of environmental policy analysis.
• Chapters compare decisions about major environmental, energy, and natural resource policies among the presidential administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, to the extent possible.
• Each chapter’s case studies have been changed or updated to include the latest developments and examples that should improve their appeal to students. These include controversies over the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines, the EPA’s Clean Power Plan and new fuel economy standards, new policies on toxic chemicals, the role of environmental and energy policies in the 2016 elections, changes in the nation’s reliance on energy resources, standards for evaluating environmental and resource policies, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
• Summaries of scientific studies, government reports, and policy analyses have been updated throughout the text to reflect the most current research and information in the field.
• All chapters include revised discussion questions and new suggested readings.
• The writing and flow of material have been improved throughout to make the chapters more accessible and useful to students.