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Primacy Implementation of Environmental Policy in the U.S. States

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  • Neal D. Woods

Abstract

Environmental regulation is frequently implemented through a system that allows states to choose whether to assume primary authority, or "primacy," for implementation and enforcement. This study looks at what causes states to assume this authority in two important areas of environmental policy: air and water pollution. It finds that in each policy area, primacy assumption is unrelated to the "greenness" of state environmental policy generally and negatively related to indicators of policy innovation within that area. Rather than being driven by commitment to the environment, primacy assumption appears to be driven predominately by other factors, which differ substantially across the air and water policy arenas. These findings call into question the widely held view that primacy assumption is an indicator of state environmentalism and indicate that a more nuanced view of what causes states to assume primacy is necessary to fully understand the dynamics of intergovernmental policy implementation. Copyright 2006, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Neal D. Woods, 2006. "Primacy Implementation of Environmental Policy in the U.S. States," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 36(2), pages 259-276.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:publus:v:36:y:2006:i:2:p:259-276
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/publius/pji029
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Yuping Deng & Yanrui Wu & Helian Xu, 2020. "Political Connections and Firm Pollution Behaviour: An Empirical Study," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(4), pages 867-898, April.
    2. Nelson, Hal T. & Rose, Adam & Wei, Dan & Peterson, Thomas & Wennberg, Jeffrey, 2015. "Intergovernmental climate change mitigation policies: theory and outcomes," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35(1), pages 97-136, April.
    3. Neal D. Woods, 2021. "The State of State Environmental Policy Research: A Thirty‐Year Progress Report," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 38(3), pages 347-369, May.
    4. Neal D. Woods, 2022. "Regulatory competition, administrative discretion, and environmental policy implementation," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(4), pages 486-511, July.
    5. Neal D. Woods, 2008. "The Policy Consequences of Political Corruption: Evidence from State Environmental Programs," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(1), pages 258-271, March.
    6. repec:zbw:bofitp:2019_004 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Deng, Yuping & Wu, Yanrui & Xu, Helian, 2019. "Political connections and firm pollution behaviour: An empirical study," BOFIT Discussion Papers 4/2019, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    8. Rajesh Sahu & Pramod Kumar, 2023. "The Missing Nexus: A Historical and Contemporary Position of the United States on Climate Change Action," International Studies, , vol. 60(4), pages 444-479, October.
    9. Ruth Winecoff & Michelle Graff, 2020. "Innovation in Financing Energy‐Efficient and Renewable Energy Upgrades: An Evaluation of Property Assessed Clean Energy for California Residences," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(7), pages 2555-2573, December.
    10. Chang, Howard F. & Sigman, Hilary & Traub, Leah G., 2014. "Endogenous decentralization in federal environmental policies," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 39-50.
    11. Yuping Deng & Yanrui Wu & Helian Xu, 2020. "Political Connections and Firm Pollution Behaviour: An Empirical Study," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 75(4), pages 867-898, April.
    12. Neal D. Woods, 2024. "Structuring Bureaucratic Performance? Assessing the Policy Impact of Environmental Agency Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-11, August.
    13. Taedong Lee & Chris Koski, 2012. "Building Green: Local Political Leadership Addressing Climate Change," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 29(5), pages 605-624, September.
    14. Li Feng & Ziming Chen & Haisong Chen, 2022. "Does the Central Environmental Protection Inspectorate Accountability System Improve Environmental Quality?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, May.

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