In lecture 7 Professor Peter Berck, who is S.J. Hall Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, gives an overview of environmental policy in the US. Berck explains the importance and role the state of California has managed to obtain for affecting the rest of the US environmental policy. He explains how their decisions influence other states, as for example their regulation of Green House Gases and how other states with democratic rule follows.
In part 2 Berck speaks about how to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the role of the states. What is on the federal level and what is up to the states?
Berck discusses New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and the concept of Grandfathering, which is sometimes argued for in the US when it comes to allocation of permits.
Berck provides more examples such as how California and the US have managed the problem of acid rain and a successful example from sewage cleaning among more examples.
