published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

“Earth, Air, Water, Oil: Regulating Fracking in the Monterey Shale with Health and Environment in Mind,” explores how hydraulic fracturing regulation in California’s oil-rich Monterey Shale will impact regional public health, including groundwater and air quality. This is achieved through a combination of case study and policy analysis on both the state and national level.

Nearly 45 years ago, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law to become the first national policy for the environment of the United States. As it has evolved over time through implementation and litigation, numerous countries and states around the world have emulated NEPA with similar environmental impact assessment requirements. Many scholars have evaluated the success of the legislation in accomplishing its lofty goals. Most commonly, however, these studies address the procedural performance of agencies through the creation of environmental impact statements. This thesis examines the effectiveness of NEPA in accomplishing its substantive, rather than procedural, goals by identifying a set of values essential to meeting the fundamental intent of the Act. The values are then evaluated in the context of the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Project to determine whether or not the NEPA process was effective in this case and to derive lessons for its future implementation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Yale University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 343-362).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgetown University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 444-461).

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986. / Also available in print.

Urban areas experience the loss of natural stream channels through conversion to artificial conveyances. This process tends to target headwater and other low order streams. The purpose of this study is to determine the patterns of stream loss in Denton, Texas, and explore the regulatory structure that manages these streams. Historic and current maps and stream data are used to map Denton's streams and categorize them according to their vertical connectivity as: 1) "intact", streams that are open to the atmosphere and connect to groundwater; 2) "concrete", channelized streams open to the atmosphere but cut off from groundwater; and 3) "buried", streams disconnected from the atmosphere and groundwater. A review of federal, state, and local regulatory codes and interviews with local government officials and other stakeholders elucidates stream management in Denton. Results from these analyses reveal high rates of stream loss in the urban center with low rates overall. The federal Clean Water Act and the local Environmentally Sensitive Areas code serve as the primary protective measures for natural streams. These regulations discourage stream impacts through expensive and complex permitting requirements. However the policies allow minor impacts which may cause cumulative effects. This study aims to inform future policy-making decisions and contribute to the knowledge of the environmental regulation of streams.

My thesis examines the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which is the site of ongoing debate between environmentalists and the oil industry. I begin by analyzing both sides’ claims about the area’s value and establishing that the coastal zone of the ANWR, whose fate is the most precarious, should be protected for both environmental and cultural reasons. I then examine two methods for protection: the common law, and regulation. I conclude that only through proactive regulation can the ANWR continue to thrive.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / China Area Studies / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts