Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Epa's Council For Regulatory Environmental Modeling : A Case Study Of Science Policy Implementation , Genevieve M. Borg

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

As environmental problems became more complex, policy and regulatory decisions become far more difficult to make. The use of science has become an important practice in the decision making process of many federal agencies. Many different types of scientific information are used to make decisions within the EPA, with computer models becoming especially important. Environmental models are used throughout the EPA in a variety of contexts and their predictive capacity has become highly valued in decision making.

The main focus of this research is to examine the EPA’s Council for Regulatory Modeling (CREM) as a case study in addressing science …

Federal And State Policy Influence On Woody Biomass Utilization, Susan Balint

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

A considerable portion of public lands in the United States is at risk of uncharacteristically severe wildfires due to a history of fire suppression. Wildfires already have detrimental impacts on the landscape and on communities in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) due to unnatural and overstocked forests. Strategies to mitigate wildfire risk include mechanical thinning and prescribed burning in areas with high wildfire risk. The material removed is often of little or no economic value. Woody biomass utilization (WBU) could offset the costs of hazardous fuel treatments if removed material could be used for wood products, heat, or electricity production. However, …