There are several environmental laws, regulations, and policies that currently influence your life, and they include the following:

• NEPA
• The Clean Air Act
• The Clean Water Act
• The Endangered Species Act
• The Superfund
• CITES
• The Montreal Protocol
• The Basel Convention

Choose one (1) of these environmental regulations, or another policy that interests you; then, research your chosen regulation or policy’s requirements and environmental and economic impacts.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Describe three (3) key elements of the regulation or policy you chose. Specifically, discuss who is affected and what actions they are required to undertake, including federal and state agencies and specific industries, and how these requirements are enforced.
2. Assess three (3) effects this regulation or policy had on our environment. Next, quantify its effects, if possible, to analyze whether or not the regulation had the desired effect on the environment.
3. Discuss three (3) economic effects of your chosen policy or regulation. Next, describe the direct costs of implementation, as well as the effect the regulation has had on economic growth. If possible, find a benefits/cost analysis that will provide you with objective analyses of this regulation’s economic impact.
4. Speculate whether or not you believe that this policy or regulation has been successful overall. Next, debate whether or not your chosen policy or regulation has promoted environmental benefits or outweighed its economic costs. Lastly, determine whether you would recommend renewing this policy or regulation when it comes to its expiration date, or whether you should let the policy or regulation expire. Justify your response.
5. Use at least three (3) quality resources / references in this assignment, in addition to the course text. Note: Wikipedia and personal blogs do not qualify as quality resources.
6. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• This course requires use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow SWS format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Assess the various methods used to understand natural phenomena and the human impact on it, and analyze the steps taken to protect the environment.
• Analyze factors influencing the use and conservation of environmental resources.
• Analyze the effect of human populations on various ecosystems, including agriculture, urbanization, waste management, and pollution.
• Critically evaluate sources of information about environmental science and communicate them effectively.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in environmental science.
• Write clearly and concisely about environmental science using proper writing mechanics.

Discussion

“Environmental Policy and Sustainability” Note: Online students please respond to one (1) of the following three (3) bulleted options:

• Explain two (2) reasons as to whether or not you believe sustainability is an attainable objective. Next, determine two (2) barriers currently in place that make achieving sustainability difficult. Propose one (1) alternative that can be used in place of sustainability.
• Name one (1) environmental policy described in Chapter 16 that you believe was most successful. Next, state two (2) drawbacks of your chosen policy then speculate on two (2) potential lessons that could be drawn from your selected policy that could be used to improve future environmental policies. Justify your response.
• Describe three (3) ways that environmental policies can be implemented and enforced. Next, in your own words, identify the roles of the following branches when dealing with environmental policies: legislative, executive, and judiciary. Lastly, which branch do you believe has the most power in implementing and enforcing environmental policies in the United States? Justify your response