Presentations

Community Wind Project Development Corruption and Environmental Degradation European Emissions Trading Regulating E-Waste in NYC

Storm Water Management at Hunts Point

Workshop in Applied Policy Analysis Spring 2006 briefings

Students in the MPA Program in Environmental Science and Policy presented their spring workshop midterm briefings on March 1, 2006. The presentations for the Workshop in Applied Policy Analysis ranged from regulation of electronic waste in New York City to community wind projects, and from corruption and environmental degradation to the European Union's Emissions Trading Scheme.

The spring Workshop in Applied Policy Analysis is the culminating project of the yearlong MPA program. It offers students the opportunity to work with public agencies and non-profit organizations to work on real-world environmental problems. Students apply the analytical and management skills they have learned in classes throughout the year to projects that affect environmental policies in New York City and elsewhere

Regulating Electronic Waste in New York City

At the briefing, this team presented the preliminary results of its study on the effectiveness of an Extended Producer Responsibility policy that has been proposed in the NYC Council. This policy would make manufacturers of electric waste responsible for its recovery and recycling.

The group worked with the Natural Resource Defense Council, a national non-profit organization, to research the level of awareness of such a policy and the impact it would have on various stakeholders.  The group has examined voluntary manufacturer and take back programs; interviewed stakeholders, including manufacturers, retailers, recyclers and consumer rights and environmental groups, state and federal regulators and the academic community, to gauge their opinion of and receptivity to EPR policy; and analyzed various options, including recycling, disposal and collection.

Once the research is completed, the group will be able to inform the NRDC of the most effective combined policy approaches, the different ways of assigning responsibility and the impact that this policy, as the first citywide program, could have.

Community Wind Project Development

This group worked with the Clean Energy Group, a non-profit organization, to research the benefits and challenges of community wind projects. The students weighed the benefits of community wind programs - a source of local clean energy, cuts in electricity purchases and economic opportunities - with the challenges of developing a program - access to financing, an unstable market, lack of knowledge about community wind, incentives not set aside for these projects.

The students have studied the profiles of projects in states that already have wind programs and the regulations and incentives available for these programs.

They are also examining where money could come from for the new project, what components needed funding and what combination of incentives is optimal.

The European Union Emission Trading Scheme

Students worked with European think tank, Notre Europe, to come up with possible methods of improving the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, which seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, this team sought to focus on where flexibility and harmonization best fit into the Scheme, evaluate the policy's effectiveness and make recommendations for improvement.

They identified challenges to this work, including the limited data available, constraints on gathering new information, analyzing qualitative information and establishing matrices and indices. The completed survey and analysis of results will be presented at the final workshop briefing.

Workshop on Corruption and Environmental Degradation

This team is working with Transparency International, a non-profit organization now in 99 countries, which works on measures to curb corruption in international transactions.

The students conducted a case study-based analysis to define the problem of corruption, illustrate economic, political and environmental issues in five hotspots around the world, and identify trends in the manifestation of corruption in industrial sectors. The group, which is focusing on the forestry, fisheries, petroleum and trade sectors, expects to develop guidelines to improve the situation with environmental degradation, particularly as lack of good governance is a major cause of corruption. They are concentrating on economic development, trade and development assistance, political stability and the level of centralization and accountability within the government.

At the end of the project, the students said they hope to establish a connection between corruption and environmental degradation; advise Transparency International on a policy action they can take; and employ a mechanism to order their research and analysis.

Workshop on Storm Water Management at the Hunts Point Market

Working with Sustainable South Bronx, a community group that works on implementing sustainable development and environmental justice in the Bronx, this group worked on coming up with solutions to water quality problems caused by the market. These problems include rainwater runoff exceeding sewers' carrying capacity, leading to overflow; and water pollution caused by the market.

The students are working on improving water management at the market, and reducing water outflow going into the pollution control plant. They are interviewing stakeholders and experts, researching storm water mitigation techniques and national and international case studies. They are also working on developing sustainable guidelines for Hunts Point Market.