Building the American Green State

How US federal and state environmental agencies have developed, and how the intersection of these agencies impacts policymaking today.

In this history of the development of US federal and state environmental agencies, this book shows how past laws and agencies and federal-state differences create roadblocks to building effective environmental policy today. Examining the role of states in environmental management from the late 1700s through 2000, Christopher McGrory Klyza focuses on the interplay of federal-state leadership in green state building and analyzes the patterns of this state building among states, regions, policy areas, and time periods. Throughout, he pays special attention to intercurrence—conflict that arises between governing orders from different times and between the states and federal government.

The book places the green state among other topics central to American political development studies, such as the military, welfare state, and discrimination. He discusses US federal and state institutions that deal with natural resources management, pollution control, and other areas related to the environment, such as energy. Congressional gridlock on issues like climate, he says, has not meant no climate policy; instead, as in the past, much of the policy has moved to states like California, New York, and Washington. He shows how the conflict among governing orders that results from the deep, layered nature of the green state complicates current policy-making on biodiversity, climate, and environmental justice.