Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Navigating Murky Waters: State-Level Strategies For Wetland Preservation And Tile Drainage Regulation After Sackett V. Epa, Caleb M. Swanson

Honors Thesis

Wetlands are some of the world’s most valuable ecosystems, serving as provisioners of species habitat, carbon sequestration, flood mitigation, water quality purification, and other ecosystem services. Human development has resulted in substantial wetland loss the world over. In the 1970s, the United States Congress passed the Clean Water Act, giving the EPA broad authority over wetland protection. However, in the summer of 2023, the United States Supreme Court decided Sackett v. EPA, limiting the EPA’s jurisdiction over wetlands to those indistinguishably connected to generally recognized “Waters of the United States” and removing federal protection for millions of acres of wetlands, …

Power Play: The President's Role In Shaping Renewable Energy Regulation And Policy, Luke Bartol

Honors Projects

With the impacts of climate change becoming more and more apparent every day, finding means of effective action to mitigate its effects become increasingly critical. While localized work can play an important role, federal action is necessary to have the most widespread and effective impact, especially on interconnected issues such as clean energy. Congressional action is the avenue of change at this level, however in an increasingly partisan and divided environment, progress on this front is far short of what is needed.

Looking to the president is logical here, both as a single actor more insulated from partisan fights, but …

Measuring Regulatory And Noncompliance Prevalence Among Maryland Commercial Blue Crab Fishers, Jacquelyn Lee Rachor Hornsby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Few empirical studies exist that compare regulation (R) and fishing crime (VL). The lack of information about R and VL effects stakeholder decision-making. Crime weakens conservation efforts and creates false baseline data. This furthers R and the cycle repeats. The purpose of this correlational study was to determine the statistical association between the number and type of annual commercial blue crab R and VL of the same. The Pearson's R correlation was used to analyze the data because it demonstrated the strength of each relationship. This quantitative study was grounded in enforcement theory. The data was public record and consisted …