ADM 560 Grand Canyon University Environment Protection Agency Essay

You are a staff member in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A change in policy has been instituted. The change in emissions for coal plants will require action from you and your team. This assignment will have two parts. In the first part, you will create a brief that outlines actions that need to be taken by EPA for regulating the policy change. In the second part, you will reflect on different approaches and interpretation you can take in policy change.

Part 1-

Create a policy brief. Recommend strategies to navigate the political dynamics of the new policy as it relates to the execution of the agency’s duties for your boss. The brief should be concise and follow the general structure of such a policy brief. At a minimum, your policy brief should contain the following:

A title
A summary of the problem
At least three possible solutions to the problem
Statement and explanation of your recommended solution with rationale
The implications and benefits of the recommended policy
Discussion of implementation of strategy and alternatives to navigate the political dynamics present in this situation.
Brief conclusion
At least three sources used to support claims
Graphics and/or other visual elements so it reflects the formatting of a professional policy brief.

Part 2-

Discuss different approaches that can be taken when addressing this policy change.
Outline the legislative requirements that must be followed for the policy change. Including a discussion regarding regulations around the change. Is there wiggle room in the implementation and application of the policy?

Use two to four scholarly resources to support your explanations.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Explanation & Answer

Environment Protection Agency

Student’s Name

Institution

Professor

Date

Part 1

There has been great progress made in achieving the national air quality standards. Environment Protection Agency since its establishment has updated the less frequent spread of air pollution than it was before. Air pollution can be harmful even when it’s invisible. The problem at hand is the policy that was placed during the Obama-era for coal-fired power plants to have an expensive technology that captures carbon dioxide emissions (Sotarauta, 2018).

The Environment Protection Agency is in a position to revise the new source of performance standards for coal power plants and allow the coal-fired generators to emit carbon dioxide per megawatt. The option could ease the Obama-era policy which was highly criticized because of how expensive it was. The challenge here is that comparing the cost-benefit of this case, the benefits are few and it will only benefit the coal plant owners and eventually, environmental pollution will rollback.

The possible solutions to this problem are increasing the use of renewable energy, meeting the energy efficiency targets, and increasing the efficiency of the existing coal plants. These solutions will work best rather than having a whole policy change and endangering people’s lives.

The standard of renewable energy needs as low as 30 percent of the utility and an additional 1.5 percent for solar energy sales. Meeting these needs by increasing renewable energy generation will minimize the emission of carbon dioxide by up to 5 percent which is beneficial.

Another solution is ensuring that the efficiency targets are met. In most states, the efficiency standard that is needed is having an implementation of utilities that are energy saving. The standard is efficient because once it’s met, there will be reduced emissions of carbon dioxide by up to 14 percent.

The other solution is increasing the efficiency of the existing coal plant. There is no necessity of building multiple plants that do not have emission regulation (Locatelli, 2020). The existing coal plants are in a position to save energy by upgrading the equipment that they have and making other improvements on operations. When the coal plant efficiency is increased there will be a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emission.

The recommended policy has some economic benefits to the nation. When energy is efficient, there will be low utility costs often. Having these alternatives help in achieving a constant supply of energy to customers and is more economical. Also, it helps in reducing the cost of conservation improvement programs.

The best implementation strategy is using the top-down approach. The approach always seeks to develop a policy that can easily be generalized and can bring forth a consistent and recognizable pattern of behaviors across different areas that the policy touches. The approach is efficient since it takes the administrative process and does not involve the political aspects of the policy (Locatelli, 2020). The policy only emphasizes the benefits that the environment and its constituents get. The alternative to navigating the political dynamics that are evident in such a situation is involving the public and educating them on the benefits of solutions that are provided.

In conclusion, it is important to know how severe the impacts are associated with the amount of carbon dioxide emission specifically from coal plants. There are several negative impacts that it comes along with including global warming, extreme weather condition and sometimes it may bring health conditions to the residents. Therefore, it is important to minimize the emission of carbon dioxide and embrace alternative solutions.

References

Air Pollution: Current and Future Challenges. (2020, November 06). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/air-pollution-current-and-future-challenges

Locatelli, G., Zerjav, V., & Klein, G. (2020). Project Transitions—Navigating Across Strategy, Delivery, Use, and Decommissioning.

Sotarauta, M., &Suvinen, N. (2018). Institutional agency and path creation. In New avenues for regional innovation systems-theoretical advances, empirical cases, and policy lessons (pp. 85-104). Springer, Cham.

Part 2

Some of the approaches that can be taken when addressing the policy changes include identifying the level of policy reform that is required. The policy usually has levels that guide the Environmental protection Agency. Each of the levels is important and should be considered before making any implementation of the policy.

Another approach is identifying and addressing any policy barriers that may arise. Identifying all the policy changes that are needed and ensuring that all the policies that are meant for the environment are well understood, all the barriers that could bring some changes to the environment are identified and a solution to such barriers are implemented before implementing the policy.

Making use of data to monitor and evaluate the implementation process is also another important approach. When there are good monitoring and evaluation of data, there will be accountability and transparency of the policy and it will be embraced well since the policy is meant to benefit everyone.

The legislative requirements that help to put the environmental laws that are passed by congress include creating the law, putting the law to work, and creating the regulation. These are the stages that need to be followed to meet the legislative requirements. The regulations that are created need to first reach the members of the public for them to share their views about the policy. Once the feedback is received, then they are put into consideration then the policy can finally be implemented. There are wiggle rooms in the implementation and application process of the policy because once the policy is implemented there are chances that changes need to be made and it is important to have that room for beneficial changes.

References

The Basics of the Regulatory Process. (2020, July 22). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/basics-regulatory-process

Air Pollution: Current and Future Challenges. (2020, November 06). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/air-pollution-current-and-future-challenges