- Explain the origin of the federal Pollution Prevention Act, including the year it was passed,
events leading to its passage, politics leading up to its passage, by how wide of a vote it was
passed, and which president signed it.
America became aware of the effects of pollution on its environment in the 1960s and 1970s. Waste materials from the industries were being released to the environment, causing a lot of pollution. This led to the development of environmental laws, including the clean water act, resource conservation recovery act(RCRA), and the clean air act. These laws, however, were reactive in pollution prevention. They managed wastes after they have been released to the environment. They helped prevent pollution, but as industries advanced in their production, most businesses realized that it was becoming costly to manage wastes. At that time, some innovators had realized that the best way to control pollution was through prevention. Some of the companies, including 3M, were already using the pollution prevention program as early as 1975 and had reported positive results. Both private and public corporations were now opting for pollution prevention as opposed to waste disposal. With the success stories from the businesses that had adopted the pollution prevention program, the government saw the need to embrace a quality environment for economic productivity. Federal reports, including those from the environment protection agency (EPA), highlighted the importance of the two qualities. According to EPA, ther main aim of its formation was to deal with pollution by dealing with immediate problems. In the process of achieving, they realized that dealing with a challenge from the result part was not only fulfilling, but it also leads to the transfer of burden to another party. Therefore, the EPA proposed a policy that solves environmental pollution by managing waste from its origin/ source. This policy aimed at reducing pollution by managing wastes before being released to the environment(Bearden, Copeland, Luther & McCarthy, 2013).
The drafted policy of EPA was presented to the senate. After a series of negotiations, the congress found out that America was spending a lot of money on waste disposal. It was also realized that businesses that had controlled pollution from the source saved on cost and pollution prevention were much desirable than the management of wastes. The congress similarly noted that there were existing regulations that hindered the adoption of the pollution prevention strategy. With those findings, the congress declared pollution prevention a national policy in the united states. It clearly stated that pollution was to be prevented at the source. In cases where it was not possible, then the wastes should be recycled in an environment-friendly manner. If recycling is not applicable, then they should be treated. Handling and disposal of waste were the last options if the three methods were not feasible.
The congress voted by voice; therefore, there were no votes recorded. The act was voted in at the house then at the senate. The bill was signed by the 41st president of the united states George Herbert walker bush in October 1990. The pollution prevention act of 1990 was the turning point of the united states environmental conservation. The bill aimed to reduce pollution by managing them at the source with the use of cost-effective practices. Its focus was to reduce the amount of wastes released to the environment. It also aimed at ensuring that in the process of pollution prevention, the least costs were incurred. Pollution prevention act of 1990 gave way to the birth of several pollution prevention programs(Bearden, Copeland, Luther & McCarthy, 2013).
References
25 Years Preventing Pollution: A Retrospective Report. (2015). Retrieved 14 May 2020, from https://pprc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/P2-Retrospective_25-Year_Final-Draft_20151.pdf
Bearden, D., Copeland, C., Luther, L., & McCarthy, J. (2013). Environmental Laws: Summaries of Major Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. Congressional Research Service, 1(7-570), 93.
- Polluter Pays Principle
Polluter pays principle is one of the vital principles in environmental policies. The principle states that the person who causes pollution should pay for it and not the government. This is not only a sound principle for dealing with those who pollute the environment but also promotes fairness and justice in society. Anyone who causes damage to people should be responsible for the cost. This principle of responsibility judges people and businesses based on their actions. When the polluter becomes responsible for their actions, they will ultimately be accountable for their economic success. A safe environment results in economic productivity. The polluter pay principle is now the most efficient, nationally, and international environmental policy, especially by the OECD members(Khan, 2015).
Before, pollution was not a concern because they considered water air and land plenty, therefore free for use. It was only until people realized the effects of pollution that they were concerned. Around the 1900s, the environment was so much polluted, especially in Britain. Environmental economists, therefore, sought to find solutions to the problem. The polluter pay principle was first articulated by Kneese and J.H Dales in around 1960. It was later mentioned by the organization for economic co-operation development (OECD) in 1972. They recommended that the principle becomes the guiding standards to the international financial aspect of environmental policies. It was then reaffirmed in 1974. Since then, many ecological economists have adopted the plan and are being used globally. Several opinions from the earliest environmental economists like Pigou were incorporated in the policy(Khan, 2015).
According to the OECD, the primary purpose of the pollution pay principle is to allocate the costs of pollution prevention to the person responsible for the damage. This prevents environmental distortion and also leads to economic prosperity. The other purpose is to ensure that the person responsible for the damage pays for it. This means that if pollution results from the waste of a specific company, then the company must be accountable for cleaning up the mess.
I think the principle is instrumental in pollution prevention by ensuring that the polluters are responsible. When the cost of managing pollution is directed to the person who caused it, it makes the person responsible. The person will then opt to employ measures that minimize the cost of cleaning up their acts. The principle not only makes one reliable, but it also promotes justice and fairness. It reduces the risk of shifting the burden to innocent people. Aside from that, the polluter pay principle saves the government unnecessary costs resulting from other businesses’ actions. Today polluter payer principle has been understood to ensure the prevention of pollution and conservation of the environment. It also creates liability by making the polluter responsible for their acts and finally ensuring that pollution is prevented from the source.
Climate change has been attributed to various wastes released to the environment. Recently there has been a debate on who is responsible for carbon gas pollution. There has been agreement that carbon tax should be applied globally since the issue cuts across all the continents in the earth. To achieve results, there has been a concern about how the polluter pay principle can be applied. Parties want to impose a carbon tax that ensures equity globally. This is a very complicated matter since it is difficult to determine the amount of tax that makes it equitable.
It should be noted that other countries have more industries than others, making it unfair that a uniform tax is globally imposed. There has been a proposal to come up with the ability to pay principle as complementary to the polluter pay principle. This new principle will help in the negotiations on pay for previous, current, and future emissions. It is will also protect the disadvantaged countries from exploitation(Khan, 2015).
References
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Your Bibliography: Khan, M. (2015). Polluter-Pays-Principle: The Cardinal Instrument for Addressing Climate Change. Laws, 4(3), 638-653. doi: 10.3390/laws4030638