Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management Summer 2009 Final Briefings

On August 14^th, the students in the Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy program presented their final briefings for the Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management. After a semester of dedicated research, students presented their projects on proposed but not yet enacted environmental laws or international agreements.  At the culmination of the semester, students submitted reports that explain the environmental science aspects of a management problem as well as offer a solution to the scientific and technological challenges involved in passing the law to legislators who are not scientists.

 "In Summer Workshop, students learned to translate science and analysis and integrate these various pieces of knowledge to help address the problems in environmental policy and to later develop operational plans. Learning to communicate science to non-scientist policy-makers by connecting the science with the legislation represents what the program is all about and what many students will do after graduating from the program," said Steven Cohen, the program's Director and Executive Director of the Earth Institute "Students learned how to focus their attention on communicating a lot of pertinent information in a short amount of time. The students also developed a process of going from knowing very little about a problem or program to having expert and professional knowledge. They also developed the skill of working within the constraints of proposed legislation - even if they disagree with parts of the bill."

This summer, students worked on a variety of topics, ranging from climate change and its effects on coastal and ocean systems to identifying the issues surrounding the invasion of nonnative wildlife in an ecosystem. Guided by faculty advisors, teams of students were able to tackle the complex scientific issues surrounding each topic. Faculty advisors this semester were comprised of practitioners and faculty specialists including Kathy Callahan, Steve Cohen, Howard Apsan, Matthew Palmer, and Andrea Schmitz. Professor Callahan, the former Deputy Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region II worked with the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act group. Steven Cohen advised the team focusing on the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (the Waxman-Markey climate bill). New to the Workshop course was Professor Howard Apsan, who teaches Public Management in the fall for the program and is the Director of Environmental Health and Safety at City University of New York (CUNY). He led the group researching the Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009. Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Matthew Palmer, guided the group studying the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act. Andrea Schmitz, Deputy Ombudsman at ConEdison, worked with the team examining the American Renewable Energy Act.

In the presentations, the students provided a summary of their chosen legislation- major goals and provisions of the statute - and addressed the history and scientific dimensions of the environmental problem in question. This semester's workshop included studies of the:

Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 S.171

Faculty Advisor: Howard Apsan

According to the Congressional Research Service, the Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act aims to "develop and maintain an integrated system of coastal and ocean observations for the Nation's coasts, oceans, and Great Lakes, to improve warnings of tsunami, hurricanes, El Niņo events, and other natural hazards, to enhance homeland security, to support maritime operations, to improve management of coastal and marine resources, and for other purposes." The group assessed the goals of the act and determined whether or not its proposed actions were valid and plausible. By the end of the semester, the group concluded that environmental problems are a matter of national interest and the effectiveness of the act is contingent upon its implementation.

Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act

Faculty Advisor: Kathleen Callahan

The Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act workshop group studied the Presidential allocation of $475 M in 2010 for multi agency Great Lakes Restoration. This specific act is another effort to coordinate the complex issues and statutes which affect the Great Lakes. "With an estimated 84% of the US's fresh water supply, the Great Lakes are a critical resource" (Congressional Research Service). The group assessed the discrepancies between the amount of funding allocated by the Collaboration Implementation Act and the amount of funding necessary for state and local governments to provide comprehensive action. Some controversies that they presented were the unknown long-term impact of some of the proposed solutions and reality that some sites may require more time, financial resources, and technical assistance. In order to move forward, the group concluded that potential disagreements over proper technology and scientific approach need to be resolved and that implementation should be pragmatic in order to find the compromise between cost and protection.

American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

Faculty Advisor: Steve Cohen

This group researched the efforts of the federal government to promote clean energy, more energy efficient technology, global warming pollution reduction, and to create an economy based in these practices. Several goals of the bill are: 1) Requiring utilities to use renewable energy for 6% of their power generation in 2012 and 25% by 2025, 2) To make clean coal a reality, 3) Provide greater incentives for electric vehicles, 4) Further installation of Smart Grid and Electricity Transmission. Throughout the presentation, the students stressed the fact that global warming is a public policy problem because of its multiple components. Global warming can cause significant disruption to environmental, social, and economic systems throughout the world. Success of the program can be measured in reductions in economy-wide emissions and atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, improvement in environmental conditions, and improvements in nation's resilience to impacts of global warming. The students concluded that the Bill reflects a compromise between political debate and scientific uncertainty and if passed through the Senate, will mark a federal policy precedent.

H.R.669: Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act

Faculty Advisor: Matthew Palmer

This workshop group focused on legislation created to prevent the introduction of harmful nonnative wildlife species into American ecosystems, focusing on the economic ramifications of the nonnative species and the legislation that should proactively prevent intentional introduction. The implementation of this Act would require the Secretary of the Interior to promulgate regulations establishing a process for assessing the risk of all nonnative wildlife species in the United States. If successful, there should be an observed decrease in invasions and associated damages. Some notable challenges presented by the students were geography, time and resources.

H.R. 890: American Renewable Energy Act

Faculty Advisor: Andrea Schmitz

The American Renewable Energy Act group focused on the negative impacts of coal and electricity and the foundations of the act itself. The act seeks to establish a federal renewable electricity standard for electric utilities and hopes to encourage the growth of renewable energy. The students assessed that the problems with electricity are two-fold: the demand is constantly increasing and current electricity generation has hazardous environmental impacts. The act urges utility providers to develop renewable capabilities such as wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and landfill gas, marine and hydrokinetic, or new and additional hydroelectric sources. If the act is successful, there will be an increase in renewable capacity and a decrease in both the price of renewable energy and air emissions.

To view the archives of Workshop Final Briefings, presentations, and reports, please go to www.columbia.edu/cu/mpaenvironment/pages/wksp.html. For more information on the MPA-ESP program, please contact Audrey Lapiner, Program Manager for the MPA-ESP Program and, at 212.854.3142 or via email at ael2130@columbia.edu.