Politics of Environmental Issues Final

· According to Nash, how did most European settlers of North America regard the wild state of nature that they found? How did they feel about "wilderness"?

They valued it because of its novelty, but also for the benefits of its resources. To be tamed(converting it into a rich and prosperous civilization). They found it scary because of the Native Americans

We've talked a lot about modern "cornucopian" values. Do you see cornucopian values reflected in how Americans viewed wilderness in the 1700s and 1800s? In what ways?

They wanted to utilize the wilderness's resources, but wanted to keep it tamed for future generations (wise use)

For Americans in the time periods that Nash covers, how important was economic growth? How important was the preservation of nature in a more-or-less untouched state? Which was more important, and why?

Economic growth was more valued and expanding. Preservation of nature was less important because they wanted to make the land useful in order to create a society for their survival.

n your view, was there anything even remotely "environmentalist" (in Layzer's sense) about how Americans in the 1700s and 1800s regarded wilderness? Could you envision Americans during this time eventually developing something like environmentalist values? Why or why not?

I would say that not completely destroying the environment for their own needs all at once was somewhat environmentalist because it allows for nature to recover and not be completely destroyed. I can't really imagine Americans at that time developing anything like environmentalist values because they didn't know much about the importance of nature conservation at the time and c clearly only cared about their own personal gain.

Nash talks about early Americans' attitudes toward wilderness; Zinn talks about how Americans in the early/mid-1800s viewed and treated Native Americans*. Do you see any similarities between what these two writers have to say about Americans' values during these times? That is, do you see any similarities between Americans' values regarding wilderness, and regarding Native Americans? Any differences?

I see many similarities in the two writers' descriptions of early Americans' attitudes toward wilderness. They both describe that the Americans took over the Native Americans' land without any remorse and for their own benefit. They were in no way trying to preserve the land rather they were conserving it for their own future generations.

Do you see modern cornucopian values reflected in how Andrew Jackson and other prominent Americans at this time viewed Native Americans? In what way?

I do because similarly they will do anything or destroy anything in their way to obtain what they want.

What was "homesteading," and how did it reflect cornucopian values?

Homesteading is granting land to settlers. It encouraged the American dream of personal responsibility and right to property independent of government for over 100 years.

What specifically did the Homestead Act of 1862 do?

Enacted in 1862, and in effect until 1976

Any "head of household" could receive 160 acres of federal land, basically for free

Settlers just had to live on the land and "make improvements to it" (usually farming)

Does Reynolds appear to celebrate the Homestead Act? Why or why not? What does he think the Homestead Act accomplished?

Reynolds appears to celebrate the Homestead Act because he refers to it as the greatest privatization act in American History. He states "Although distinctly a political act of war, the Homestead Act encouraged the American dream of personal responsibility and right to property independent of government for over 100 years."

Does Reynolds think that the Homestead Act would have passed if Southern states were still present in Congress in 1862? Why or why not? How does this reflect the importance of process in shaping who "wins" in politics?

Reynolds doesn't think that the Homestead Act would have passed if Southern states were in Congress because farmers would fear small families not being able to afford slaves ultimately turning antislave. Its important because of the right people are elected, positive things will occur that help most individuals.

What was the federal government seeking to accomplish with the Morrill Act of 1862, which established "land-grant universities"? How did this also reflect cornucopian values?

To focus on "agriculture and mechanic arts"

Supported higher education and research to make farming more productive and efficient

Which "social-political groups" (as we understand the term) would have supported and benefited from cornucopian agricultural policies like homesteading and the land-grant university system? Why?

Potential settlers- anyone willing to move to west and farm

People whose states would benefit from new colleges and universities

Entrepreneurs- benefit from population growth in west

Which social-political groups were harmed by homesteading, or were unable to benefit fully from it? In your view, what explains why these groups did not have equal access to benefits from homesteading, or were actively harmed by it?

Native Americans-lost their land

Formerly enslaved people- did not have equal access to land

In your view, was there a broad coalition of people in favor of homesteading? Why or why not, and what difference did this make for government policy around agriculture?

I think there was a broad coalition of people in favor of homesteading because it benefitted many. This allowed them to know this was good and to keep doing things like this.

How did the Morrill Act fund the establishment of land-grant universities in every state?

Sponsor Vermont Rep. Justin Morrill

How did the Morrill Act lead to violence against Native Americans, and violations of their rights?

Hundreds of violence-backed treaties and seizures extinguished Indigenous title to over 2 billion acres of the United States. Behind the stark disparity lie hundreds of pieces of scrip redeemed in California, where Indigenous communities were hunted and exterminated. Bounties for Indigenous heads and scalps, paid by the state and reimbursed by the federal government, encouraged the carving up of traditional territories without any compensation.

What was the Dust Bowl? How did the Dust Bowl impact individual farmers, the overall economy, and the natural environment where it took place?

The Dust Bowl is a severe drought that triggered massive dust storms out of the plowed fields of the southern Great Plains. These storms carried topsoil east to the Atlantic Ocean. It's considered one of the worst environmental disasters in the Nation's history; a confluence of policy, human acti

What are some specific ways in which homesteading and intensive agriculture contributed to the Dust Bowl?

Precipitation was too little and too inconsistent to support farming

Massive blow up breaking the native sod of short grasses for farming

Plow the ground and pulverize the soil

Wind-swept semi-arid region by settlers with little experience or information dn limited acreage for success

In a depression, so they planted more and worked the land harder

Drought hit

What was Gifford Pinchot's basic attitude toward nature? Why do you think that Pinchot's views ultimately became known as "conservationism"?

Pinchot was a conservationist and believed land needed to be sustainable for future generations to reek its benefits.

How do forests benefit people, according to Pinchot? Why does Pinchot want the government to establish forest preserves?

Providing many natural resources to help us develop and survive

Wake up to the present conditions because if they don't soon. There will be a famine in materials which will not allow them to operate mines, railroads, farms, fisheries, many manufacturers all because there is no timber.

What other kinds of environmental policies do you think Pinchot would support? Could he and Muir find common ground? Where do you think Pinchot and Muir would disagree?

I think he would support the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. He would support policies that preserve land and don't strictly conserve it. I think he and Muir would be able to find a common ground in the sense of having to conserve something that should not be used anymore due to importance or lack of it. I think they would disagree on conserving instead of preserving resource rich land.

Where would you put Pinchot on the environmentalist-to-cornucopian scale?

Temperate Environmentalist

What was John Muir's basic attitude toward nature, and especially toward wilderness? Why do you think that Muir's views ultimately become known as "preservationism"?

Muir wanted to preserve the land and not allow anyone to utilize its resources for nature's sake.

How does wilderness benefit people, according to Muir?

Its relations to climate, soil, and streams

Being able to regulate the effects of these things

Based on what Muir says in these essays, what kinds of policies do you think he would support? What role for the government?

Muir would support policies that conserve land rather than only preserve it. He wants a strong government intervention

Where would you put Muir on the environmentalist-to-cornucopian scale?

Strong Environmentalist

For what reasons did Congress pass the original bill that established Yellowstone National Park in 1871? What about the land that became Yellowstone seemed special and worth protecting to people at that time?

Such regulations shall provide for the preservation, from injury or population, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or such wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition"

Yellowstone was created- For railroads, preserve as a tourist destination and profit off of that and use to protect it, a space of curiosity, lock it up and control

Were railroad companies for or against creating Yellowstone National Park? Why?

They were for it because they could bring in more tourists to use their railroads to view Yellowstone

The Adirondack Forest Preserve was established in 1885 under New York State law. What ends up being the most important and persuasive argument in favor of setting aside large tracts of land in the Adirondacks? Why did this argument carry so much weight?

The wealthy individuals and the economy, which were very important back then.

We talked a lot in the first half of class about how it can benefit environmental groups to make arguments that can appeal to people who are not also strong environmentalists—who may even be cornucopians. Do you see evidence of this in how Yellowstone National Park and the Adirondack Forest Preserve were established?

I do because it's a win-win for cornucopians and environmentalists in the case of Yellowstone because the railroad companies are getting their profit from increased passengers as well as environmentalists who are getting some of that profit to preserve Yellowstone to keep healthy for those tourists to see.

Why did railroads like Union Pacific support the establishment of national parks?

Establishments of national parks allowed for more passengers which allowed for more profit

What are some specific things that railroad companies did to convince elected officials and regular people that national parks were a good idea?

They began pressing legislators to unite the leadership of the parks under one "bureau"

In your view, how important was it that railroads were part of the coalition in favor of national parks?

I think it was very important because it allowed for a common ground for cornucopians and environmentalism and benefited both.

In 1897, Congress passed the Forest Management Act, which established the National Forest Service and laid out the purpose of the national forest reserves (this is on p. 137 of Nash's book). Did the Forest Management Act hew more closely to Pinchot's vision for the national forests, or to Muir's?

It hewed more closely to Muir's vision because its purpose was to preserve a water supply and the forests and provide a supply of timber.

Muir won some important early battles for his preservationist vision, like getting Yosemite Valley preserved and convincing President Roosevelt to make the Grand Canyon a national park. But he didn't get his way with the national forests. Think about the social-political groups and businesses and organizations who had a stake in the national forest debate. Why do you think that Pinchot's side won?

The political coalition behind conservatism was much larger and more powerful. But

conservationist values led to important milestones in environmental politics; and

preservationist values would become increasingly important throughout the 20th

century.

What were some of the environmental (and eventually economic) consequences that resulted from the federal government's policies to encourage intensive agriculture in the Midwest and Great Plains?

Because of the federal government's policies to encourage intensive agriculture in the Midwest and Great Plains, strips of land became barren, dry and desert-like. With an environmental condition like this, disruptive weather like heavy rain, led to flooding and destruction. A barren environment had effects on the economy; without vital land to grow crops, there was less access to goods to be sold for profit and thus, the economy thus suffered.

· What was the "New Deal" of President Franklin Roosevelt?

Series of programs and projects implemented during the Great Depression that was aimed to restore prosperity for Americans.

Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) which incentivized corn and wheat farmers to cut production, plant grasses and legumes instead of cash crops

Soil Conservation Service (which is now the National Resources Conservation Service): researched and encouraged environmentally responsible farming

Prairie States Conservation Project which employed people to plant forests and "wind breaks" across the Great Plains and Midwest

Delivered looser monetary policy, price support for agriculture, union rights and billions of dollars for public works and employment.

What kind of political coalition (broad or narrow) was Roosevelt able to mobilize in favor of the New Deal? What are some examples of social-political groups that were a part of Roosevelt's New Deal coalition?

FDR was able to create a big coalition, the new deal paid people to go and work, electric lines, highways, prepare and make national parks all need to be built.

Business owners or farmers who wanted to grow/prosper, musicians/artists that were assigned to go around

Any/Every SPG in the US at that time could benefit

How did the New Deal reflect a new approach to farm policy that was more "environmentalist" in character?

(AAA) Pay farmers to stop farming cash crops, but instead plant more grass & legumes which are more environmentally beneficial/ less harmful. (pay farmers to conserve nature)

Like Pinchot

Prairies states conservation incentivize people to replant forests, the new forest will act as a "windbreak" and prevent more dust, it will also help with the clean water flow ect.

· Why did Bennett think that soil erosion was such an important problem?

He believed that soil erosion was such an important problem because it caused a lot of harm to the earby environments such as the grazing and cultivated lands, climatic conditions, and wastage which has an immediate effect on the farmer who loses crops and therefore loses revenue

Causes the land to lose productivity

Did Bennet recommend small steps to address the problem of soil erosion, or big ones? What kind of role did Bennet want the federal government to play in this effort?

Bennett recommended big steps as he viewed soil erosion as a widespread and important issue that needed to be addressed and solved with help from the federal government. It affected the lives of millions of Americans and it had been ignored for decades. He believed that the federal government needed to allocate funds to programs, agencies, and initiatives that would combat soil erosion in areas of the country.

How did Bennett's recommendations for government policy toward agriculture represent a break with the cornucopian values of homesteading and agricultural expansion?

Bennett's recommendations represented an environmental stance with a slight appeal to the cornucopian side because he focused on the harm caused to the grazing farmland affected by soil erosion while also mentioning the economic loss that would come from it

Heavy focus on environmental issues that would arise; causes unproductive soil, destroys crops, destroys ecosystems (ultimately impacting consumer)

What was the Soil Conservation Service (which today is called the Natural Resources Conservation Service)? What are some things that SCS did to address the soil erosion problem?

Originally called the Soil Erosion Service, the Soil Conservation Service was the first major

federal commitment to the preservation of natural resources in private hands.

The SCS introduced many projects and services aimed at reducing soil erosion:

taught soil conservation techniques, researched soil and erosion, managed plant nurseries, supported irrigation work, constructed flood and control plans, and weather supply forecast

What was the Prairie States Forestry Project and its "shelter belt," and how did this also help to combat soil erosion?

Prairie States Forestry Project was a program to put local farmers to work planting trees as windbreaks on farms across the Great Plains. Shelter belts are usually a row of trees along fence lines. They are planted mainly to protect animals or crops from cold winds. It helps reduce soil erosion by wind, conserve soil moisture and reduce wind damages to crops.

What did the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) do that was quite revolutionary?

This act paid people not to farm on land that's vulnerable to erosion, in order to make it farmable in the future, and to avoid another dust bowl.

How did the AAA, the Soil Conservation Service and the Prairie States Forest Project begin to reflect what we've been calling "environmentalist" values? Think about both "axes of values" that we've talked about in this class!

It prioritized protecting the environment instead of taking the traditional economy-first mentality. It utilized federal laws/services to control land usage. This meant more people were open to federal government intervention and a strong state.

Why does Woolen say that the conservation initiatives in the New Deal represent the first time the U.S. government made "sustainable development" a goal?

The federal government hadn't priorly interfered with farming practices but started to plant trees to prevent soil degradation and erosion. It was considered sustainable development for future use like long term environmental planning.

Rachel Carson was not, when she wrote Silent Spring, doing original science of her own. All of the science she talked about in her book was done by other people, and much of it had already been written about in academic journals. So what was Carson's contribution to the debate over hazardous chemicals? Why was Silent Spring so important?

How Carson discovered DDT (fertilizers/pesticides) was harmful and wanted to spread the word on how it was impacting animals(birds)

Much of the data and case studies that Carson drew from weren't new; the scientific community had known of these findings for some time, but Carson was the first to put them all together for the general public and to draw stark and far-reaching conclusions. In doing so, Carson, the citizen-scientist, spawned a revolution.

In other words, why did Carson's work matter so much to the environmental politics of the era (the 1960s—the dawn of the modern environmental movement in the U.S.)?

Once these pesticides entered the biosphere, Carson argued, they not only killed bugs but also made their way up the food chain to threaten bird and fish populations and could eventually sicken children.

How does Rachal Carson's life and work demonstrate the potential political power of experts as a resource for civil society organizations?

Because she was an expert and all the work that wasn't hers she used was from experts, people are more likely to believe experts who know what they are talking about.

Carson was one of the first women to attain a leadership position in a federal environmental agency. Do you think that her gender constituted an advantage or disadvantage, or both, to her as an environmental advocate? Why?

Her gender constituted a disadvantage because there were not many women biologists, so those against her would use that against her to downgrade her claims.

How did public opinion about environmental issues change over the course of the 1960s and into the early 1970s? Why did this matter to politicians and elected officials?

Public opinion changed for the better. This matter to politicians and elected officials because they wanted to know the popular public opinion and find a way to support that in their campaign to stay in office or get elected.

What are some reasons why, in Layzer's view, public opinion on environmental issues changed so dramatically over this time period?

TVs, going to college (more educated), more time and money to spend on these issues, more worldwide

What was the particular significance of Earth Day in the environmental politics of the time? What happened on Earth Day, and what difference did it make in the push to get strong new environmental laws passed?

The first earth day was the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Then in January 1969, he and many others witnessed the ravages of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, Senator Nelson wanted to infuse the energy of student anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution.

This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.

Quarles highlights the 1970 decision by Nixon's Secretary of the Interior, Walter Hickel, to sue the Florida Power and Light Company. What was this lawsuit about, and why was it important?

According to Quarles, how did changing public opinion on environmental issues play a role in getting Hickel to sue Florida Power and Light? What are some examples of how Hickel became aware that public opinion on environmental issues was changing?

What public event specifically offered a dramatic illustration of how people were feeling about environmental issues in the late 1960s? Why would this event have mattered to federal officials like Hickel, and, ultimately, President Nixon?

The protest at Kent State offered a dramatic illustration because some of the protesters were killed by state police. This would have mattered to federal officials because

Whitaker worked in the White House under President Nixon in the 1970s. According to Whitaker, how was Nixon influenced by changing public opinion on environmental issues?

Nixon was influenced to try to establish more committees and governmental groups to help satisfy the publics environmental concern.

According to Whitaker (and Layzer), what role did post-WWII American affluence and prosperity play in the spread of environmentalist values? Why, in Whitaker's view, are affluence and environmentalist values connected? Do you agree?

This helped blook the environmental movement. " Americans have long been relatively much better off than people of other nations, but nothing in all history compares even remotely to the prosperity we have enjoyed since the end of World War II, and which became visibly evident by the mid-fifties." Also, there was a surge of an "activist" upper middle class, college educated, affluent, concerned, and youthful for its financial circumstances. Rise of television and the opportunities it provides for advocacy journalism. I they are connected because people are gaining more information on the environmental issues that were out there which changed their views on it in favor of environmental reform.

According to Whitaker, what was the role of experts and scientists in the spread of environmentalist values during the 1960s?

Their role was to spread all the information on the environmental issues faced so that the public was informed which ultimately turned their values to environmentalist.

According to Layzer, why did Senator Ed Muskie eventually propose an air pollution bill (most of which eventually became law) that was significantly stronger than what President Nixon had asked for?

He was scared the president was going to steal his thunder and planned on running for president.

Ultimately, support in the Senate for both the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act was nearly unanimous. The same was true in the House of Representatives. Can you imagine that happening today? Why or why not?

I can't imagine this happening today because nothing in the Senate nor the House of Representatives is 100% supported by everyone. There are always some people who want to look out for the economy more or don't believe it as important as they're making it seem.

Political scientist Theodore Lowi and environmental advocate Ralph Nader wrote reports that influenced the debate over what powers the EPA should have. What were some concerns that Lowi and Nader had, and how did lawmakers address these concerns in the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act? (Incidentally, do Lowi's and Nader's concerns remind you of anything that we read in the first few weeks of class???)

Lowi criticized Congress for granting agencies broad discretion in order to avoid making hard political trade-offs. He argued that agencies, operating out of the public eye, strike bargains with the interest groups most affected by their policies, rather than implementing policies in ways that serve a broader national interest. Members of Congress got the message: in addition to transferring standard-setting authority from the states to the federal government, the Clean Air and Clean Water acts employed novel regulatory mechanisms—such as strict deadlines, clear goals, and uniform standards—that both minimized the EPA's discretion and restricted polluters' flexibility.

To what major social forces does Quarles attribute the establishment of the EPA? Are these the same forces that drove Hickel to sue Florida Power and Light, or different ones?

The EPA was a pretty radical idea, and President Nixon was no environmentalist. According to Quarles, why did Nixon become a champion of a new agency in the executive branch that would have broad powers to reduce pollution?

According to Quarles, why did Ruckelshaus, the first administrator of the EPA (the big boss), work his new staff so hard? What was he responding to? (Quarles' thoughts on this topic are on the last few pages of the chapter.)

What are some ways in which conservative/cornucopian philanthropists, like Joseph Coors and the Koch brothers, have played a central role in organized climate change denial? What does this say about why money can be such a powerful organizational resource?

They have the money to have experts talk about the subject and/or change actions of politicians and use that to make them in favor of climate change denial

What are "think tanks," and what role do they play in climate change denial?

Basically experts, who can be influenced to write papers/reports about it and go on the news and such and talk about the issues. Many people see them as reliable so it can persuade them into being in favor of that side

What are "front groups," and what role do they play in climate change denial?

CSO appears to be neutral but gets its funding from fossil fuel organizations or other powerful groups but supports the cornucopian side secretly

What are "astroturf groups," and what role do they play in organized climate change denial? (Bonus points if you know where the term "astroturf" comes from!)

A commonly deployed tactic of the fossil fuel industry, in which a company creates an outside advocacy entity to make it appear as if there is natural, grassroots support for their case.

What do think tanks, front groups, and astroturf groups illustrate about the power of money as a political resource for organizations and groups?

They show that money can persuade anyone and with money you can achieve anything you want

From Salent's article, what are some ways that fossil fuel companies are using their financial resources to exercise political power? What specifically are they using their money resources for?

They invested a lot of money in lobbyist to obtain campaign contribution for which they give to republican candidates

Review: What are regulations, or rules? What is their relationship to "statues", where environmental policy is concerned?

A Regulation is an official rule. In the Government, certain administrative agencies have a narrow authority to control conduct, within their areas of responsibility. Regulations are designed to implement and interpret statutes Regulations usually must be authorized by a statute, and are subordinate to statutes

Review: When the President goes around" Congress to achieve her goals, how are her actions vulnerable to challenge?

Why did Senator John McCain back away from supporting a strong bill to address climate change in 2009, even though he was helping to write it?

He was trying to win ovr the republican party and they were starting to not believe so much in global warming regulations, so sponsoring the bill wouldn't help him win. He even insisted that he and Lieberman announce a set of climate change "principles" rather than a bill.

The Waxman-Markey bill to address climate change passed the House in 2009, when Democrats were in the majority. On the Senate side, Senators Graham and Lieberman spent a lot of time trying to get Republican senators to support the bill, even though Democrats had the majority in the Senate, too. Why was this necessary?

If Republicans didn't respond to the proposed deals, the White House could push them to the table by making a threat through the Environmental Protection Agency, which had recently been granted power to regulate carbon, just as it regulates many other air pollutants.

What are some examples of how Graham and Lieberman tried to convince Republican senators, like Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Olympia Snowe of Maine, to support their bill to address climate change? Did they succeed? Why or why not (in your opinion)?

Lieberman's office proposed to Heimbach that the "rst element of the bill to negotiate was the language about oil drilling. Lieberman and Graham believed it would send a clear message to Republicans and moderate Democrats that there were parts of the bill they would support. Heimbach favored doing anything to attract Republicans, and, though he wouldn't take any speci"c actions, he generally supported the strategy.

Murkowski was up for reëlection and would soon be facing a primary against a Sarah Palin-backed Tea Party candidate. Her price for considering a climate-change bill with John Kerry's name attached to it was high: she handed over a set of ideas for drastically expanding drilling, which included a provision to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil companies.

What statute gave the EPA the power to issue the rules and regulations that together formed Obama's Clean Power Plan?

The Clean Air Act

What are some specific examples of rules/regulations created by the executive branch through the EPA's Clean Power Plan?

Each state then has an opportunity to adopt its own plan―including enforceable emissions limits―for its coal and gas plants.

creates a new voluntary Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP) that will generate additional early compliance credits. The CEIP allows states to award credits or allowances to qualifying renewable electricity generation, and to qualifying energy efficiency savings in low-income communities, for emissions reductions achieved in 2020 and 2021, before the compliance period begins.

requires states to consider grid reliability when designing their plans. And grid operators, states, and federal agencies (the EPA, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the U.S. Department of Energy) would be working together, planning to meet power needs with pollution-control obligations in mind and watching closely to ensure reliability.

Why did President Obama feel the need to use the EPA's authority under the Clean Air Act to address climate change?

But legal mechanisms were already in the works to force the Obama administration to do exactly that if Congress declined to issue new, greenhouse-gas-specific rules.

Why did the Obama administration view addressing climate change through the existing Clean Air Act as a second-best solution?

They described it as a non-ideal way to address this type of pollution

We were very forward-leaning, trying to work directly with Congress, trying to identify, in the very early years, Republicans in the Senate in particular we could work with."

How is Obama's Clean Power Plan a good example of the relationship between a statute and a regulation or rule?

He created a new regulation (power plant) under the Clean Air Act

Once Obama acted, which branch of government became central to the plans of Obama's opponents for stopping executive branch efforts to address climate change?

Supreme Court

How did Trump seek to undo Obama's Clean Power Plan, once he become president? Did he succeed?

The executive actions will follow the White House's release last week of a proposed budget that would eliminate climate change research and prevention programs across the federal government and slash the Environmental Protection Agency's budget by 31 percent, more than any other agency. Mr. Trump also announced last week that he had ordered Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, to revise the agency's stringent standards on planet-warming tailpipe pollution from vehicles, another of Mr. Obama's key climate change policies.

What, according to Meyer, have been some of the political problems with most policy ideas to do something about climate change?

The Democrats have a problem: They are the only major political party that cares about climate change, but they don't have a national strategy to address it.

What is the Green New Deal? What are some major things that the Green New Deal, if fully enacted, would do? (I'll also talk about this in lecture.)

The Green New Deal aspires to cut U.S. carbon emissions fast enough to reach the Paris Agreement's most ambitious climate goal: preventing the world from warming no more than 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100.

Do you think that there are similarities between the Green New Deal and Roosevelt's New Deal (which we talked about earlier this semester)? If so, what kinds of similarities come to mind?

And of course, the terminology used for the proposal is even older, harking back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which put unemployed Americans to work (including with environmental jobs) during the Great Depression

The modern calls for focusing on upgrading infrastructure and for "smart" power grids echo the work of the original New Deal's Rural Electrification Administration, which brought electricity to rural areas. The call for "reducing the risks posed by flooding" recalls the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) supervising the construction of dams for flood control, and the call for construction that safeguards people from extreme weather events recalls the planting of a "shelter belt" of trees to break up the powerful winds that contributed to the Dust Bowl. And the New Deal's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) employed about 3 million men in what might today be called green jobs, including carving park trails and fighting wildfires. When the CCC disbanded in 1942, TIME said it had "one of the best records of all New Deal hopefuls" and that "[the] most rabid opponents of New Deal spending admitted that CCC was worthwhile."

What is the political strategy behind the Green New Deal? Why do advocates of the Green New Deal think that it will appeal to a coalition of voters that is much broader than just strong environmentalists?

The Green New Deal aims to get us there—and remake the country in the process. It promises to give every American a job in that new economy: installing solar panels, retrofitting coastal infrastructure, manufacturing electric vehicles.