Assignment #6- H.R. 54 and Cohen's Frameworks

1. Values Framework

H.R. 54, a.k.a. The Great Lakes Water Protection Act, would amend the Federal Pollution Control ACt and prohibit any publicly owned treatment-works from intentionally bypassing a treatment facility and dumping waste into the Great Lakes. This bill is in-line with Cohen's argument that we should adopt environmental policies that "focus on developing less destructive methods for fulfilling the current consumer ethic" (2006, p. 15). Although a great deal of clean-up has been done to the Lakes over the past few decades, "toxic, human, animal and industrial wastes," (Gray et al., 2007, p. 1) and other substances continue to pollute the Great Lakes (Gray et al., 2007). H.R. 54 will not entirely solve the Great Lakes pollution problem but it will assuage one known harm to the Lakes. It will also penalize those that knowingly pollute the lakes. There is a right and wrong value issue because the bill aims to create a harsher penalty for illegal dumping.

2. Political Framework

H.R. 54 was introduced by Illinois Representatives Mark Kirk and Daniel Lipinski. However, the issue affects all levels of government, local governments like Chicago, state and federal governments, and even international governments. The United States shares the Great Lakes with our neighbor to the north, Canada. It is important that all governments work together in order to efficiently implement and manage environmental policies surrounding the Great Lakes.

3. Science & Technology Framework:

As new technologies emerge for treating water, it is necessary to use the technologies to improve treated water quality. The illegal dumping of sewage into the Great Lakes devastates the environment. There is a proven cause and effect relationship between wastewater dumping and the deterioration of the Great Lakes environment and water quality. H.R. 54 would make it more difficult for treatment-works facilities to bypass water treatment to dump waste water directly into the Great Lakes. Using treatment facilities is not a new technology, but creating stricter guidelines for their use will improve water quality in the Lakes.

4. Policy Design Framework:

H.R. 54 uses disincentives, or civil penalties, to influence behavior. If H.R. 54 passes, starting January 1, 2029, the maximum civil penalty to bypass violations would be $100,000 per day. The bill would also create a Great Lakes Clean-Up Fund from the fines collected for violations starting January 1, 2029. The Great Lakes States would then receive monies from the fund to use for habitat protection, wetland restoration, and programs for the improvement of wastewater discharges or bypasses (H.R. 54).

5. Management Framework

H.R. 54 would amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, which enforced and regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. H.R. 54 would affect several states and uniform oversight would be necessary. Each state's environmental protection agency would also possibly enforce the new regulations. Since illegal dumping is already regulated for the Great Lakes, regulating illegal bypasses would not require creation of a new organization or leadership. The Great Lakes Clean-up Fund, however, will require the creation of a new organization. Given that the funds would be distributed to several states, new operating procedures would need to be developed.