Government Agencies And Alternative Environmental Conflict Management: The Michigan Oil And Gas Leasing Task Force As A Dispute Resolution Process. (volumes I And Ii).
Lesnick, Michael Thomas
1986
Abstract
Environmental decision-making by government agencies is typically controversial and the focal point for many environmental disputes. New, alternative environmental conflict management processes that emphasize negotiation and problem-solving, hold the potential to more effectively manage these complex disputes. However, because these processes are relatively new, little is known about the actual advantages and disadvantages of participating. Using six conceptual dimensions and twelve hypotheses, the dissertation examined the impacts of participation on an agency's: organizational structures and processes: ability to formulate and implement policy; and decision making authority. Data was collected from participants and observers of the Oil and Gas Leasing Task Force conducted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This was a two year, policy-level process initiated by the agency to resolve internal and external disputes over the state's leasing policy. The seventeen member Task Force of DNR staff, environmentalists and oil and gas industry representatives: revised the state's oil and gas lease; developed and implemented administrative rules; and revised the DNR's environmental field review process. Structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with sixteen Task Force members and eighteen observers. Data analysis showed that the Task Force resolved internal differences between DNR divisions over the goals of the oil and gas program. This strengthened the agency's negotiating position with external parties. The process enabled the agency to better monitor the demands of interest groups but did not result in significant institutionalized changes between divisions after the Task Force. The research found that the Task Force resulted in mutual education of the parties that is not typically experienced in traditional policy processes, and expanded the number of policy solutions, increasing both the quantity and quality of information considered. It also made implementation faster and less controversial for the DNR. However, the process may have precluded consideration of issues of concern to environmentalists, and seemed to have no effect on the DNR's ability to retain its decision-making authority. The dissertation describes the need for future research on multiple instances of alternative environmental conflict management that will allow development of more generalizable findings on the dynamics and impacts of these processes.Subjects
Agencies Alternative Conflict Dispute Environmental Force Gas Government Ii Leasing Management Michigan Oil Process Resolution Task Volumes Volumesi
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