Use 3 material attached and write 400 words for the three questions 1. After reading the background material for this case, what role do you think the federal government should havein managing alimite
Week 3 (B) Narrative - History of Environmental Political Thought Part 2
Read the essay "Wise Use: What Do We Believe?" by Ron Arnold
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No discussion of environmental policy development would be complete without acknowledging those who rebelled against the environmental movement and the sweep of new regulations of the 1960s and 1970s. This revolt has been dubbed the Wise-Use Movement. Though this label didn’t stick until the late 1980s, the movement really began in the late 1970s.
This movement was the counter to pastoralism’s deep ecology; it swung the political pendulum to a more anthropocentric view of environmental policy. It particularly manifested itself in the western United States, where a majority of lands are managed by the federal government. Ranchers, miners, loggers, private property owners all began to reassert their belief that human ingenuity can solve environmental problems. This western specific part of the wise use movement was dubbed the Sagebrush Rebellion. This movement revolted against the federal oversight of natural resources they claimed to have been managing properly for generations. This movement manifests itself in the state and federal government rights debate which will be discussed later this semester. For more information about the history of the Rebellion, click here (Links to an external site.).
The following case study will help illustrate what the Wise-Use movement is, its potential impact, and will be the focus of this week's discussion.
Case Study: Utah prairie dog
Some of the battles in the wise-use movement are being played out right here in southern Utah. One of these cases is the Utah prairie dog. Because it is right in our own backyard (no pun intended), the Utah prairie dog is an interesting case study in the wise use movement and the issue of private property rights, and environmental protection and stewardship.
The purpose of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Links to an external site.) “is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.” The Utah prairie dog was placed on the endangered species list in the 1970s and then upgraded to “threatened” in the 1980s. To manage the species, the US Fish and Wildlife Service issues “takings” permits to remove the prairie dog from private lands. There are only so many permits issued per year so as to not adversely impact the species population.
Many see this as an overreach of federal powers especially as it pertains to private property rights. A group of Iron County citizens began PETPO and won a favorable decision in 2014 to allow more “takings” of the Utah prairie dog from private property because it is found in only one state (hence, the constitutional interstate commerce clause does not apply according to the appellants). The case is on appeal. In the interim, it is being hailed as a victory for the wise-use movement and environmentalists decry it as a weakening of important protections for endangered species. For more information about the case, click here (Links to an external site.).
For more information about PETPO, click here (Links to an external site.).
For a copy of the 2014 ruling, click here (Links to an external site.).
Supplemental information:
Environmentalism's Article of Faith
Actions
More information about the Sagebrush Rebellion
