Question

Module 5 - Discussion

After a 10-month investigative reporting project, the New York Times published this series of articles and videos in 2009-2010 on the status of water pollution issues in the United States and the response of regulators charged with managing them under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. 

According to the article, "In the last five years alone, chemical factories, manufacturing plants and other workplaces have violated water pollution laws more than half a million times. The violations range from failing to report emissions to dumping toxins at concentrations regulators say might contribute to cancer, birth defects and other illnesses."  The article also highlights that many of these violations go unpenalized by state and federal officials, "The Times’s research shows that fewer than 3 percent of Clean Water Act violations resulted in fines or other significant punishments by state officials. And the E.P.A. has often declined to prosecute polluters or force states to strengthen their enforcement by threatening to withhold federal money or take away powers the agency has delegated to state officials." 

Explore the articles and/or videos at this site: http://projects.nytimes.com/toxic-waters (Links to an external site.)

Cite at least one item from this website and/or an outside source to discuss at least two of the following questions:

Is it possible to maintain effective pollution controls in the U.S. with growing populations, urbanization, and mass consumption lifestyles? How can support be garnered for clean water policies in cases where the pollution is invisible or otherwise not noticeable in daily life, or its sources are very diffuse, such as pharmaceutical or pesticide contamination? What roadblocks exist to effectively implementing the Clean Water Act? What are some policy components/designs that are important for establishing effective environmental policies?

(Keep in mind that the number of NYT articles you can read at a given time for free may be restricted, and remember that you can access to the NYT through OSU: https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/nytLinks to an external site.)

5 months ago

Answer