The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been considered one of the most innovative federal agencies in the nation, and the agency recently has employed a new stakeholder engagement practice in rule makings termed shuttle diplomacy. Though the agency has long been experimenting with new stakeholder practices, it is unclear what factors explain the agency’s decision to settle on shuttle diplomacy. This study conducts original interviews with senior career civil servants at the EPA to unpack this decision-making process. These data are then structured by applying Toddi Steelman’s (2010) implementing innovation framework so as to assess what factors are most impactful in the adoption of this new innovative procedure at the EPA. This research suggests that Steelman’s structure and individual variable are of value in explaining the EPA’s rationale for adopting this new practice. Finally, this research discusses the implications of this approach and the practical and political constraints that impact its use.

Environmental Practice 16: 171–181 (2014)

Western North Carolina is water rich, with high annual rainfall and historically low population. Therefore, water management has traditionally not been a significant policy issue. Recent droughts and high population growth, however, have stressed many water supply systems. To deal effectively with these stresses, new policies and management practices have been initiated, prompted by both state mandates and local pressure. As pressures are likely to continue, there is a need to understand what motivates policy development and what processes decision makers use when creating water management policies and programs. Previous research finds that decision makers are apt to base decisions on perceptions, personal beliefs and historical practice rather than on relevant water data. In this study, survey results are used to understand how decision-maker perceptions about water availability, growth, and environmental concerns correlate with water allocation and conservation policies. Results indicate that respondents are only moderately concerned about water availability and drought is the primary concern, rather than population growth. Few of these decision makers have implemented water education programs, but many have implemented drought-related conservation programs. Environmental concerns related to water management are quite low among all respondents.

Environmental Practice 16: 94–101 (2014)

This article presents the findings of an online survey and interviews with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) professionals on their opinion on the essential and most important components of agency NEPA programs. A list of NEPA program components was developed based on a review of books, articles, and papers on ways to improve the NEPA process. Results of the online survey indicate that all of the listed elements are considered important for an agency NEPA program to be successful. No program element was ranked lower than 3 (“somewhat important”). The highest-ranked element (1, “critically important”) was senior management support for the NEPA process. Interviews with senior NEPA specialists confirmed that senior management support for the NEPA process was critical, and that other critical components flowed from that support. Senior managers were interpreted as being the agency’s senior NEPA manager or the senior manager at each facility, installation, or command. Education was most frequently identified as how agency NEPA staff could develop and maintain consistent senior management support for the NEPA process. The interview sample size was small, and further research could be conducted with other agency representatives to identify additional successful methods to develop consistent senior management support for the NEPA process.

Environmental Practice 16: 1–9 (2014)

Applying the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) to an island setting offers insight into whether and how standardization of subnational GPI models can adequately capture important local conditions and inform local policy. We argue in favor of localization and against scaling down national data and transferring valuation studies to Hawaii because of the state’s unique setting. To localize GPI to our context, we suggest (a) omitting some indicators that are not applicable to Hawaii; (b) expanding and discretizing the list of indicators to other important economic, environmental, and social changes; and (c) amending existing indicators to better reflect their contribution to Hawaii’s welfare. This would involve (a) improving local data on economic, social, and environmental changes; (b) building new indicators through a participatory process; and (c) conducting local valuation studies that accurately reflect the social value of the changes.

Environmental Practice 16: 1–12 (2014)

Many environmental impact analyses, including those pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, do not identify the spatial and temporal scales used in the analysis. Without definition of analytical scales, the reader is left to infer scale, which could confound decision making when different readers infer different scales of analysis. For ecological analysis, site-specific spatial and temporal scales based on unique natural features and phenomena are most appropriate, given the inability of ecological resources to restrict themselves according to political boundaries or arbitrary time lines. Definition of scale in the environmental impact document allows the reader or decision maker to consider the impacts in the intended context. Scales of ecological analysis should be based on ecological principles as applied to a specific study area and the ecological resources that may be affected by the proposed action or activity. The multiscalar concept of biological connectivity should be addressed in spatial and temporal analysis, which inherently includes cross-scale considerations such as those for potential effects on metapopulations. Definition of spatial and temporal scales is critical to bound the impact analysis and to inform readers and decision makers, and suggested guidelines are provided as an example of an acceptable method. Although several different scales could be correctly chosen, analysts should identify and define spatial and temporal scales used to promote consistent interpretations of results and to facilitate the decision-making process.

Environmental Practice 16: 281–286 (2014)

Urban stormwater runoff rates are expected to intensify with climate change. Permeable surfaces, a low-impact development (LID) stormwater management technology, can be used to mitigate the impacts of urban stormwater runoff. Permeable surfaces have demonstrable benefits for use in northern climates, but widespread use requires greater recognition of this potential. This article reports on the multiple barriers associated with the installation of a permeable surface in single-family residences, along with the characteristics and incentives associated with early adopters. Results from standardized, self-administered mail-back questionnaires distributed within a Kitchener, Canada, community identified awareness, cost, and technological acceptance as permeable surface adoption barriers. Other results indicate that Kitchener residents possess the necessary characteristics to support permeable surface adoption once technical and economic barriers are resolved. This article contributes insights on barriers to LID urban stormwater management practices to both the academic and applied literatures.

Environmental Practice 16: 6–18 (2014)

Significant controversy surrounds the use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in oil and gas extraction in the United States. To address some of these concerns, states are leading the charge by regulating the process. Yet, variations exist in state regulatory approaches, and it is still unclear what drives these differences. Thus, this research applies policy subsystem theory to examine original interview data to determine what may cause these variations in regulations through an examination of Colorado, Wyoming, and Louisiana. This research finds that policy subsystem theory is useful in explaining this variation. In particular, the position of agency staff and privileged stakeholder groups, often industry related, help to explain why Colorado has a much stronger regulatory program than Louisiana. In comparison, Wyoming’s stringent regulations represent the anomaly in this case, but the results of this research suggest that this dominant energy subsystem will likely not be setting any pro-environment trends going forward.

Environmental Practice 16: 102–112 (2014)

Communication challenges of environmental management are magnified for uncertain policy options and trade-offs involving complex issues. A novel risk-trading option authorized by Congress for setting standards for radon levels in drinking water illustrates interactions and gaps among scholarly advice, practitioner behavior, and citizen responses, as revealed in utility-customer focus groups. The aim of the focus groups was to identify citizen-preferred options (including any not yet suggested by policy makers) and difficulties in presenting needed background information so that policy preferences are valid and reliable if elicited in the future. This commentary covers such topics as effects of knowledge, risk comparisons and information framing, values clarification, presentation of policy options and evaluation, and their implications for risk communication and policy development.

Environmental Practice 16: 113–126 (2014)

With budget and time constraints in environmental permitting, the collection of baseline water quality data relies on rapid environmental assessments (REAs). In south Texas, we investigated the usefulness of including physicochemical parameters and freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate and fish assemblage data to rapidly assess a drainage canal system. Data were converted to chemical averages and metrics, and sample sites meeting the greatest number of metric criteria for high water quality in south Texas were identified. The REA approach determined bioreference sites that could provide baseline data for wetland permitting, mitigation planning, and future comparisons. We demonstrate that the REA approach for drainage canals was useful and provided the necessary data for US Clean Water Act 401 and 404 environmental permitting and decision making for the Raymondville Drain Outfall Project.

Environmental Practice 16: 19–28 (2014)

In times of increasing workloads and flat budgets, it is important that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) use available resources and techniques efficiently and effectively to achieve success in environmental reviews throughout the agency. By implementing a contract with Duke University, cosponsored by the Council on Environmental Quality, to present courses near the NRC Headquarters in the Implementation of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the NRC major program offices achieved success in training a large number of staff in NEPA in a timely and cost-effective manner. In addition, this training is positioning NRC staff to complete the Duke University graduate-level professional certificate in NEPA.

Environmental Practice 16: 287–289(2014)

Natural capital is of critical importance for biodiversity and people’s well-being. Studies indicate that understanding the connection between environmental health and human benefit (i.e., ecosystem services) can promote conservation-friendly decisions; however, many people don’t recognize the benefits they derive from nature, nor the way their decisions affect those benefits—and the consequences for our communities and economy. One method we have tested for educating people about ecosystem services and valuation is game-based learning. To help people understand their potential impact on ecosystem services, and how alternative decisions can have better or worse outcomes for people and nature, we created two social simulation games collectively called Tradeoff! Through an iterative design process and pilot testing in a number of locations with a variety of audiences, we have developed a set of learning principles for educational ecosystem service games.

Environmental Practice 00: 1–11 (2014)