Environmental Policy Initiative

The Ohio State University
Environmental Policy Initiative
First Annual
National Policy Conference

Environmental Policy in an Era of Devolution

Transferring environmental policy decisions and enforcement to local governments and stakeholders is a new trend called "devolution". Voluntary agreements, industry codes, and incentive- or community-based environmental policies let local governments, citizens groups, and industry play a more active role in environmental policy. This trend is simultaneously praised for promoting efficiency and local autonomy, while being criticized for weakening the protection of environmental quality and the health of citizens

This conference brings together policy-makers, stakeholders, researchers, and educators to consider the practical points of effective environmental policy in an era of devolution.

April 16-18, 2001
University Plaza Hotel
Columbus, Ohio

Co-Sponsored by
The Ohio State University
John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy

National Planning Committee

Dallas Burtraw	Resources for the Future
Vicki Deisner	Ohio Environmental Council
Tom Dietz	George Mason University
Daniel Farber	University of Minnesota
William Franz	US EPA Region 5
Mike Pompili	Columbus, OH, Department of Health
Alan Randall	The Ohio State University
Mark Ritchie	Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Kyle Schilling	USACE Institute for Water Resources
Michael Taylor	The Ohio State University
Thomas Yuill	University of Wisconsin

Draft Conference Program

Monday April 16, 2001

1:30 - 2:15 p.m.	Registration
2:15 - 2:30 p.m.	Welcome
2:30 - 3:30 p.m.	Opening Address
Title To Be Announced Mary Gade Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal Chicago, IL
3:30 - 5:00 p.m.	Paper Session One
Case Studies of Environmental Justice Success Cynthia Warrick Howard University The Politics of Pollution Prevention and Regulatory Integration: Lessons from the States Barry Rabe University Michigan
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.	Reception

Tuesday April 17, 2001

8:30 - 9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 10:50 a.m.	Paper Session Two
Perspectives on Watershed Partnerships: The Views of Landowners, Agency Officials, and Environmentalists Paul Sabatier, Christopher Weible, and William Leach University of California, Davis Playing in a Federal System: Comparing National to Local Park Management Rachel Brakeman and Tomas Koontz The Ohio State University Localism in Environmental Policy: New Insights from an Old Case Leigh Raymond University of Chicago Discussant: Doug Southgate, The Ohio State University
10:50 - 11:10 a.m.	Break
11:10 - 1:00 p.m.	Paper Session Three
Flexible Implementation of Carbon Policies Dallas Burtraw Resources for the Future, Washingtion, DC Green by Choice?: Cross-national Variations in Firms' Responses to EMS-based Environmental Regimes Aseem Prakash George Washington University An Evaluation of Voluntary Agreements Between the Flemish Government and Municipalities (1992-1999) Hans Bruyninckx Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. Discussant: Nives Dolsak, Indiana University
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.	Lunch
2:30 - 4:00 p.m.	Panel Session One
University Research, Outreach, and Extension in an Era of Devolution Panelists: Sandra Batie, Michigan State University Jeff Reuter, The Ohio State University Sea Grant Program Larry Libby, The Ohio State University (Organizer) Tom Yuill, University of Wisconsin (Organizer)
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.	Reception
7:00 p.m.	Dinner
Dinner Speaker Transforming Environmental Protection in the 21^st Century Jonathan Howes University of North Carolina

Wednesday April 18, 2001

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.	Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 10:20 a.m.	Panel Session Two
Stakeholders in an Era of Devolution Panelists: Chris Jones, Director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Chris Schraff, Law Firm of Porter, Wright, Morris, and Arthur Dan Binder, City of Columbus - Water Quality Management Bryan Clark, Ohio Public Interest Research Group Vicki Deisner, The Ohio Environmental Council (Organizer)
10:20 - 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 - 11:50 a.m.	Panel Session Three
Local, State, and Federal Government in an Era of Devolution Panelists: Mike Pompili, City of Columbus Health Department (Organizer) Robbie Roberts, Director of Environmental Council of States Ken Jones, Green Mountain Institute for Environmental Democracy Jerri Anne Garl, Office of Strategic Environmental Analysis, USEPA - Region V
11:50 - 12:00	Break
12:00 - 1:00 p.m.	Closing Address
A Reconsideration of Environmental Federalism Wallace Oates University of Maryland
1:00 p.m.	Adjourn

Keynote Speakers

	Mary A. Gade, a partner in the law firm of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal in Chicago, Illinois. Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) from 1991 to 1999, and a founder of the Environmental Council of States. Prior to being named Director of IEPA, Gade served thirteen years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
	Jonathan B. Howes, Special Assistant to the Chancellor and Professor of Planning and Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chair of the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority. Previously, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources and Mayor of Chapel Hill. Chair of the National Academy of Public Administration panel that produced the report, "Transforming Environmental Protection in the 21^st Century"(November 2000).
	Wallace Oates, Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park, and University Fellow at Resources for the Future in Washington, D.C. A member of the Economics Department at Princeton 1965-1979. Primary research interests are in the fields of environmental economics and public finance, with a special interest in issues in state and local government economics. He has worked both on theoretical issues in public economics and on the design and implementation of policy measures for environmental protection.