Giving particular attention to intergovernmental working relationships, this revised edition of Federalism and Environmental Policy has been significantly updated to reflect the changes that have taken place since the highly praised first edition. Denise Scheberle examines reasons why environmental laws seldom work out exactly as planned. Casting federal-state working relationships as "pulling together," "coming apart," or somewhere in-between, she provides dozens of observations from federal and state officials. This study also suggests that implementation of environmental policy is a story of high stakes politics—a story rich with contextual factors and as fascinating as the time the policy was formulated.

As four very different environmental programs unfold—asbestos (updated to include the fallout from the World Trade Center), drinking water, radon, and surface coal mining—Scheberle demonstrates how programs evolve differently, with individual political, economic, logistical, and technical constraints. The policy implementation framework developed for the book provides the lens through which to compare environmental laws.

Federalism and Environmental Policy goes beyond the contents of policy to explore the complex web of federal-state working relationships and their effect on the implementation of policy. It is unique in how it portrays the nuts-and-bolts, the extent to which the state and federal offices work together effectively—or not. Examining working relationships within the context of program implementation and across four different environmental programs offers a unique perspective on why environmental laws sometimes go awry.

Denise Scheberle is a professor emerita in the Department of Public and Environmental Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

"In this new edition, Scheberle returns to the vital but often puzzling world of intergovernmental policy implementation. Thoroughly updated with new data and an expanded model, Federalism and Environmental Policy provides insights on the implementation question that are innovative and compelling. This book will have a major impact on the field."

1. Environmental Federalism and Federal-State Working Relationships Responses to Intergovernmental Working Relationships in the 1990sConcepts of FederalismNEPPS and the REG 8 DirectiveA Typology of Working RelationshipsConclusionsNotes

2. Implementing Environmental Laws Defining Implementation and Measuring PerformanceImplementation as a Game of StrategyImplementation as a StoryImplementation and Refocusing EventsImplementation EnergizersAn Implementation FrameworkDynamics of the ModelConclusions about ImplementationStudy Design and RationaleNotes

3. Unintended Consequences, Policy Retreat, and Refocusing Events in Asbestos Policy History of AsbestosHealth Risks Associated with AsbestosThe Government Responds to AsbestosLegal and Media Attention to Asbestos in the 1980sCongress Develops an Asbestos LawEPA Develops Asbestos RegulationsThe Early Years of Implementing AHERAImplementing AHERA TodayRefocusing Events: Libby, Montana, the World Trade Center and LitigationA View from the StatesConclusions about the Asbestos ProgramNotes

4. Survival of a Non-Regulatory Radon Program Radon and Known Health RisksA Perfect Triggering EventThe Indoor Radon Abatement Act, 1988Early and Persistent Challenges to Implementing IRAARegulatory and Non-Regulatory Programs Collide: Radon in Drinking WaterFunding State Programs and Leveraging with PartnershipsPerceptions of State Radon OfficialsConclusions about the Radon ProgramNotes

5. Implementing Drinking Water Regulations in a One-Size-Fits-All World Key Elements of the Safe Drinking Water ActPublic Water Supply SystemsSetting National Drinking Water StandardsAmendments of 1986 and 1996 to the Safe Drinking Water ActArsenic: a Case Study of the Politics of the SDWAImplementation Challenges and the Conceptual FrameworkPerceptions of State Drinking Water OfficialsEPA ResponsesConclusions about the Safe Drinking Water ProgramNotes

6. High Stakes, Small Wins, and Big Coal in the Surface Mining Program Wrestling with Issues of Control: the Primacy ApproachCoal Mining: East versus WestCoal Mining Techniques and Potential Environmental ConsequencesFormulating Federal Surface Mining PolicySMCRA Provisions and Implementation StoryThe Evolution of OSM OversightGetting Away from the "Gotcha" SyndromePerceptions of State Surface Mining OfficialsConclusionsNotes

7. Conclusions about Implementation and Working Relationships Pulling Together, Coming Apart, or Somewhere In-Between?Working Relationships among Headquarters, Regional, and State OfficialsA Tripartite ModelState "Wish Lists" for the FutureRegional "Wish Lists" for the FutureSuggestions for Getting to Relationships that "Pull Together"Implementing Environmental Laws and the Conceptual FrameworkNotes

Appendix: Research Sources and Methods

Index