Resources
& Regulation
Nick
Wiltgen
December
14th, 2013
Resources
& Regulation
Imagine
for a minute a utopian society in which the natural environment flourished,
seemingly untouched by man, where all of our natural resources were utilized
efficiently and harmlessly, and there was no need for environmental regulations
which in turn allowed us to lead prosperous, healthy, peaceful and harmonious
lifestyles. Now imagine a society in which our tremendously fast paced,
money-making and convenience driven lifestyles prompt us to nearly deplete our
natural resources, in turn causing severe environmental damage and danger to
the global climate, leaving us to ponder and assess how to better utilize and
preserve our natural resources while establishing environmental regulations in
an attempt to curb the damage to earth. It isn’t hard to imagine the latter,
because this is the reality we live in. It is critical to assess our natural
resources and to come up with regulations to sustain our environment and reduce
our carbon footprint.
So
how do we, as a society, assess our
natural resources? Unfortunately we cannot dream about a society in which our
natural resources are untapped, because we need them to sustain our lives and
meet the needs of the ever-growing population. The most important thing, with
both renewable and non-renewable resources, is to approach them as delicate and
use them wisely. The first step to assessing our land and natural resources
perhaps comes from advancing our knowledge and scientific research. “Decision makers
must know how natural resources may be affected by changes in the demand for or
use of them, and what impact these changes may have on our economy, our
environment, and our quality of life” (USGS). Fortunately, we have people,
programs, and institutions, such as the EPA and Center for Natural Resource
Assessment, that take on this monumental task. Without the tedious studies of
environmental scientists and passion of those working towards the greater good
of our planet, we would be doomed.
Take
logging, for example. We need wood for a variety of reasons – from building
homes, making heat in fire places, producing paper, and all sorts of other
products that we depend upon. While I don’t condone the decimation of the
environment, as someone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I understand the
importance of logging. Oregon is the largest lumber producer in the United
States (Business Oregon), and this not only produces a plethora of goods and
products that people rely on, but also creates jobs and boosts our economy,
allowing people to live appropriate lifestyles and raise families. However, clear
cutting is frowned upon, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you
that cutting down trees is not in the best interest of the environment. So what
can we do? The best thing to practice would be minimal cutting, and replanting
of native trees. Things get complicated when regulations are put into place
with various federal and state laws, and various parts of land – be it
BLM/government land or private land. If a law says that clear cutting is
prohibited here, it might not apply everywhere
on a federal or state level. Just like many laws and regulations, there will
always be loopholes. “Federal environmental laws that apply to BLM and Forest
Service lands require analysis of environmental impacts, public input, rigorous
stream protections, and protection and restoration of endangered species
habitat. Private and state-owned forest lands in Oregon are managed
according to the Oregon Forest Practices Act (OFPA). This allows for
clear-cutting, minimal stream buffers, aerial spraying of herbicides, and no
public involvement in planned activities” (Legue, 2012). As you can see,
regulations are put into place, with the environment in mind, but also trying
to please the economy, population, and culture. Perhaps this is a happy medium.
As more and more
environmental challenges appear before mankind, one thing is clear: we will eventually
run out of our natural resources if we continue to use them so rapidly, and we
must carefully assess them and look to alternate forms of renewable energy,
such as wind, sun, rain, etc. In the mean time, we must take care of our
planet, and creating environmental regulations is a step in the right direction
– the difficult part here, and later, is managing these regulations to appease
the earth, our society, culture, and lifestyles.
References
Business Oregon. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.oregon4biz.com
Legue, C. (2012). Private
vs public: different lands, different laws. Oregon Wild. Retrieved from
USGS. (2005). Assessing
our natural resources. Retrieved from
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