ENV431 Public Policy Analysis
Task:
Assignment Content This week you will write a paper on environmental policy, either a review of an environmental policy or an analysis of the Hetch Hetchy dam debate. You must describe how social paradigms affect views of the environment, explain the environmental policy-making process, and analyze outcomes of environmental policy. Select and complete 1 of the following assignments: Historical Policy Perspectives The building of the Hetch Hetchy dam in Yosemite National Park involved one of the first environmental debates in the country.
In this assignment, prepare an overview of this debate, compare the competing perspectives, and analyze the trade-offs involved in the building of the Hetch Hetchy dam. Read "Conservationism vs. Preservationism: The 'Public Interest' in the Hetch Hetchy Controversy" (Oravec, 1984) and research at least 2 additional articles on this debate.
Your analysis should answer the following questions: Where is the Hetch Hetchy Valley? Why was building a dam there proposed? What was the decision-making process that led to the dam-building proposal? Who were the major proponents of the environmentalist and conservationist movements in this debate? What were their positions? How did the competing perspectives of what the public good was affect this debate? What were the final benefits of building the dam? What was lost in the process? Were the public's best interests served in building the Hetch Hetchy dam? Why or why not? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.