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Students Present Final Workshop Briefings
On Wednesday, November 29, the
students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and
Policy program presented their final workshop briefings. The final workshop
briefings are the culmination of semester-long projects on a proposed but not
yet enacted environmental law or treaty with an emphasis on management issues.
The purpose of the fall-semester workshop is to provide students with the
opportunity to manage and implement a public earth system and environmental
program. Students simulate management innovation projects and address the
management problems associated with selecting and operating program changes
over a one-year period. While students are conducting this management
simulation, they learn first-hand the importance of both interpersonal
relations and strategic thinking to the process of completing projects in an
effective manner.
Projects
this fall ranged from computer recycling, water infrastructure,
energy policy, international fisheries, and avian flu.
The workshop
teams were lead by Professors Kathy Callahan, Steve Cohen, Andrea
Schmitz, and Gary Weiskopf. Professor Kathy Callahan joins Columbia
from the EPA, where she has worked with the EPA since 1971 and is
the EPA Deputy Regional Administrator of Region 2. Professor Callahan
is advising the team working with the Avian Flu. Professor Cohen
is the Director of the masters program, as well as the Executive
Director of the Earth Institute. He recently published the book
Understanding Environmental Policy. During the fall semester,
he worked with the computer recycling and water infrastructure team.
Leading the students on energy policy is Professor Schmitz. Professor
Schmitz is the Director of Environment, Health, and Safety at ConEdison.
Professor Gary Weiskopf teamed up with the students examining international
fisheries. He is the Director of Weiskopf Consulting (WCS), a consulting
company that provides public policy analysis for government and
not-for-profit decision makers.
Electronic Waste Recycling
Despite ever increasing
electronic waste being generated, current national legislative action on
electronic waste (e-waste) is insufficient. The Electronic Waste Recycling
Promotion and Consumer Protection Act has been developed to help combat the
increasing problem of electronic waste. This student team created a one year
operational plan for this new proposed act, summarizing a detailed procedure
for the implementation of this program. After enactment, the process of
recycling across all federal agencies will begin, in conjunction with a
feasibility study of the program. Within six months, they plan to issue
regulations to facilitate tax credits and guidelines for recycling. Within one
year, the goal would be to present the completed feasibility study to Congress,
and for three years will provide tax credits to recyclers and consumers. The
Act is implemented by the overseeing EPA Office of Solid Waste, the Electronics
Recycling Taskforce, and the Program Manager, who oversees the actions of the
Recycling Guidelines and Certification Group, the Communications Group, and the
Tax Credit Group. The Act will bring about uniformity to the recycling
industry, increased accessibility of recycling, and ultimately effective national
legislation for e-waste.
Water Resource Management
The Water Resources Development
Act of 2006 (WRDA) tackles the policy problem of both balancing ecosystem
health and promoting economic growth. WRDA authorizes a civil works program
with 700 individual water resources development projects in the Upper
Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway (UMR-IWW). The Army Corps Civil Works
projects aim to mitigate environmental concerns and minimize risks to human
health, improve flood control, and ensure the creation and restoration of
habitats. WRDA plans to mitigate the adverse effects of navigation projects
with priority given to the projects that will greatly benefit the nation. This
team’s one-year plan for the implementation of WRDA includes planning for preconstruction,
developing engineering and design, and building a 15-year management program.
WRDA will be implemented in UMR-IWW through a number of projects that include
dam water level management and wetlands restoration. The group created a master
calendar in which first-year implementation will be 100% planning and will
culminate in a final work-plan for program management. They created a budget
for the first year’s costs as well as a management structure.
Energy Policy
Recognizing the rapid rise of US energy consumption, the group chose to focus on the Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI),
which is part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Overseen by the US Department
of Energy, the CCPI is a grant program which focuses on coal gasification,
which will allow for easy separation of contaminants. Although coal will be
important to the future of the US energy supply, the chemicals emitted have
various negative effects on the environment. Sulfur dioxide causes acid rain,
nitrogen oxides cause smog and carbon dioxide causes climate change (global
warming). The CCPI offers Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and
hydrogen fuel cells, emphasizing technical and environmental improvements over
existing technology, as alternatives to existing coal power plant technology. The
goal of this project is to develop a reliable, clean coal industry, involving
environmental groups, people in industry and government agencies by creating
grants to fund clean coal projects. By the end of the first year, the students
developed the goal to fund one IGCC facility, meet emission targets for
mercury, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, as well as thermal efficiency
targets, and report to Congress with updates and data. The goal for 2014 is to
disburse all grant money, complete three IGCC plants and two fuel cell plants,
and meet environmental and efficiency targets for the aforementioned chemicals.
The group recognizes that coal will be a lasting source of energy and the
challenges that come with it, carbon dioxide and acquiring it through mining, will
also remain, so their plan is to promote clean coal technologies that are
environmentally responsible.
Avian Flu
In recent years, Avian Influenza
has become an increasing problem, while tracking its spread continues to be
difficult. Avian flu is spread through trade and migration of domestic and
wild birds and in the interaction of these birds with humans. This spread of
Avian Influenza will have significant effects on humans. Avian Flu will
threaten human life and alter cultural practices, raise concerns about
political transparency and openness, cause trade bans and other economic
consequences, and pose risks to endangered avian species and habitats. The
Global Avian Influenza Network for Surveillance (GAINS) has been developed to
link existing efforts to stop the spread of Avian Influenza and educate about
wild birds and the disease. Its goal is to establish a global network, develop
surveillance, prevention and control methods for avian diseases, and protect
the health of people, wildlife and poultry. With a budget of $6 million for
two years, this team created a budget for its distribution over this period.
They examined the start-up costs associated with this project as well as some
of the ongoing projects, including training, collection, and analysis. Their
goals include informing science of this disease, guide policy on how to address
it, and influence change in the current understanding of this disease.
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
With the degradation of wetlands
causing habitat loss, pollution, and loss of storm protection, the RAMSAR
Convention on Wetlands has been created to combat these challenges. The goals
of the project include a focus on quality, enhancement of international
cooperation, and an increase in awareness about the importance of wetlands.
This team proposed an organizational structure for the program, with three main
tasks including the Izembek Lagoon Project, the Mortensens Creek Project, and
Promosting Izembek. For all three tasks, a goal, method, and success indicator
was identified. A budget for their three programs was also developed, with the
largest spending, 43%, being dedicated to Mortensens Creek.
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