May 15, 2014
When I think about government
regulation of the environment I find myself with two opposing opinions. I resonate with the statement that
environmental regulation often means expense and inconvenience (Laposta and
Withgott 2014).
I had chosen to be the general contractor for the remodel of
our home. My family has always been people who chose “do it yourself” whenever
possible. The process of working through all the issues of building codes and
regulations was nothing less than frustrating. Often I would get two different responses
as to what was permitted and necessary. Some of the regulations were out of
date for the neighborhood and the community. Others did not seem to make sense,
like needing to install a drywell in order to manage our storm water. It felt like a nightmare trying to
comply with all the codes and regulations when all we wanted to do was improve
the livability of our home. The codes increased the cost of the remodel
significantly. When all was said and done I had a less than favorable opinion
of city planning department they felt like an enemy instead of a partner in
helping residents make their community better. This sentiment is echoed in blogs
and commentaries of many who seeks to make changes and run into regulatory
agencies (Luddy, 2012).
On the other hand seeing the effects of
no planning or regulations has on communities and its residences is appalling.
The unsafe and unfinished buildings, raw sewage everywhere, limited if any safe
drinking water, no traffic structure and so much more was observed as I have
had opportunities to visit other less regulated countries. I realize that all the hassle I
incurred was well worth the benefits I and the community now have because of
the regulatory structure that exists.
Why is there a need for regulation?
Tragedy of the Commons philosophy states that persons will use a resource until
it is depleted (Laposta and Withgott 2014). I have certainly seen this to be a true statement. Public
oversight through government is a common way to address issues and to manage the
resources they.
There are other means that have been
effective in regulating resources, such as the bottom-up co-operative approach
where resource users unite to maintain the resource so that it will be
sustained. Or by privatization, if it is yours you will make greater effort to
maintain it. These and other
methods have worked at times but many times it becomes clear that enforceable
government regulation is the most effective. (Laposta and Withgott 2014).
Our remodel project was significantly
impacted with greater costs by the regulations, so it is also true of any
situation where regulations are required. The adding of a drywell seemed unnecessary
but as I have learned this was very important to helping us manage our storm
water in an ecofriendly manner. The
regulation that stated that we could not add a two car garage because we
were zoned as a “one buggy” neighborhood, was no longer a true reflection of
the neighborhood. Because government is not efficient in addressing regulations
that are not effective, citizens become frustrated with the expense and effort
it takes to work with government regulatory agencies. Government regulatory
agencies are not the rule makers they are the rule enforcers. It is important that
we as citizens comply with regulation that are current and relevant and at the
same time be diligent to address regulations that are ineffective and
irrelevant.
References
Laposata, M and Withgott, J. (2014)
Environment and the science behind the stories, fifth edition. Pearson
Publishing, Glenview, IL
Luddy, R. (2012) Government regulation
is killing economic growth. US News and World Report. Retrieved on May 15,
2014: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2012/05/18/government-regulation-killing-economic-growth
The Economist. (2012). Over-regulated
America. Retrieved on May 15, 2014 from: http://www.economist.com/node/21547789
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