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Do Environmental Regulations Violate Basic Economic Freedoms? This is the question posed and debated by the authors of each position taken. Which issue is more prevalent the progress of our financial economy through business ownership or the protection of our natural environment by the dictation of regulations in which Americans must abide by? Can both viewpoints exist symbiotically? Does government intervention, in an effort to preserve our ecosystem, negatively affect business owners? It would seem that at times, this is the case; however, businesses do not always conduct their affairs with consideration of the possible or probable implications their actions may pose on the environment.
As a whole, Americans understand the environmental issues that surround us on a basic level. However, do we understand the underlying, fundamental causes that contribute to the more obvious issues that we are presented with? The often negligent or misdirected acts that are committed by businesses and the public would suggest this is not the case. Furthermore, the American naivet is perpetuated by the onslaught of attacks and inaccurate information that is released concerning our nations environmental state of health. John Shanahan, a former VP and counsel for The Alexis de Tocqueville Institution in Arlington, Virginia represents the position that environmental regulations stifle American economic autonomy. The Tocqueville Institutions mission statement declares, Our principles guide the selection of which issues are critical to the advancement of freedom but we dont rush to judgment about which means will be most effective in producing it (Internet).
A respectable statement in principle; however, after reading Shanahan's argument, it is obvious that his position is biased. Shanahan concurs with the assertion that environmental dilemmas are present in our nation, but does not feel that we should express any sense of urgency in rectifying our situation. My interpretation of this is that one should not acknowledge a detrimental issues presence, yet at the same time, deny the need for preventative measures to be taken. Shanahan seems to maintain a neutral position with the statement, The challenge is how to achieve both a strong economy and a healthy environment what Americans really want is a high quality of life.
However, his argument leads us in a different direction. Paul and Anne Erlichs are Environmental Scientists who currently work at Stanford University in the Biological Sciences Department; they have authored and edited several books dedicated to increasing awareness concerning the state of our ecosystem. The Erlichs contend that our environment is being mismanaged, and until we take preventative measures to alleviate this, we will spiral into an inhabitable nation. Their argument primarily focuses on the sources of misinformation that perpetuate American ignorance concerning our ecosystem, which are preventing active intervention.
The information they offer is enlightening, however they fail to offer alternative solutions to use in order to avoid future misdirection. Shanahan contends that environmental regulations consistently intervene with and sometimes adversely affect small businesses. This statement is supported by several examples of family owned businesses that were closed down, made to pay severe fines or ultimately forced to close their doors as a direct result of environmental regulations. While these situations are definitely unfortunate, it is unfair to label environmental regulations as ill-conceived. It certainly is unfair when a business owner is held accountable for an action he did not make, or when the land on which his business is built is declared a national sanctuary. The punitive losses that the owner will accrue can be devastating.
The regulation procedure could be fine-tuned by adopting individual and flexible solutions to employ when dealing with unique situations such as these. The Erlichs have coined the unique word brown lash as an all-encompassing term that is used when discussing the attempts made to minimize the gravity of the environmental obstacles that we are experiencing globally. The Erlichs goal is not to fuel the brown lash phenomenon, but is instead aimed at understanding why these brown lash attempts are so successful in swaying the American opinion. It should be noted that the brown lash is not an coordinated effort made by any particular group or organization; instead it is a misrepresentation of information that cumulatively builds upon itself with each additional opinion or statement that is erroneously made by misinformed people. The brown lash efforts are easily perpetuated for two reasons: the lack of scientific knowledge possessed by Americans and the belief that our environmental quality is improving.
Shanahan asserts one of the major shortcomings behind environmental regulations is the governments failure to compensate property owners for their losses once their land has been appropriated. Examples include private property that has been deemed a sanctuary, therefore becoming useless to the property owner or the order of mandated improvements to a structure and / or its surrounding areas, creating a financial burden that is difficult and sometimes impossible to recover from. By all means, Shanahan raises an excellent point. Although it would be costly for the government to compensate for losses accrued in situations such as these, the converse is costly as well. The efforts made by the government to stabilize the environment should include the fiscal implications in addition to atmospheric. As imperative as environmental preservation is, our nations economy is an important issue as well.
The cumulative loss of businesses due to closures forced by these regulations can ultimately affect the brevity of the United States. The Erlichs raise another important point in their argument. For the most part, environmental focus is placed heavily on the obvious, tactile issues and not the underlying causes that perpetuate the crisis. Most Americans readily grasp the issues surrounding something familiar and tangible but have considerably more difficulty with issues involving genetic variation or the dynamics of the atmosphere (348).
Making ourselves aware of the hierarchy of the detrimental issues that we are managing will allow us to triage which problems need to be handled first. Critical issues need to be dealt with in descending order; if we only tackle the smaller, local issues first rather than focus on a larger scale, the progress we make will be minimal. Shanahan erroneously states that Americans feel that environmental regulations are unreasonable. Some Americans may feel this statement is true; more than likely, those who have felt the repercussions of these regulations.
Regulations may appear to be unreasonable, but we must understand that guidelines need to be put in place and mai...
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Research essay sample on Brown Lash Environmental Regulations Issues
