Why Does Public Policy Matter?
by Katherine Smitherman
Director of Public Policy

Environmental policy consists of various laws, regulations, programs, and resource management plans at the local, state and federal level. Policy can require certain action by law or encourage flexible incentive-based policies. Public policy can encourage pollution prevention, promote restoration of resources, foster smarter growth, support vibrant downtown communities, increase energy efficiency and promote the development of new technologies. Policy also influences the economy, which can and does affect the environment in various ways.

What do all these types of public policies have in common? At the most basic level, a policy is the standard, or norm, we set as a society to govern a particular activity by balancing various economic, political, social and ethical considerations. As people who are aware of the importance of a healthy and sustainable environment, it is important that we ask ourselves what kind of environment our current policies will leave for future generations. For example, is it acceptable that:

• Pittsburgh has one of the worst air quality conditions in the county?
• Raw sewage is still dumped into Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams?
• Remaining forests are being fragmented into increasingly smaller and smaller parcels that can no longer support an interior forest ecosystem?
• White-tailed deer are so abundant in Pennsylvania that over-browsing prevents the regeneration of our forests?
• According to a research paper published in the journal Nature, global warming could push one-quarter of the world’s plants and animals (about 1 million species) to the edge of extinction by 2050?
• More than 15,000 stream miles in Pennsylvania are impacted by acidic drainage from abandoned or active mines?
• Pennsylvania’s rain and snowfall are more acidic than any other region in North America?
• Every year, 120,000 acres (equal to half the size of Beaver County) of Pennsylvania forests, farmland and wetlands are lost to sprawl development?
  

If you agree that these trends are not the “norms” you want for future generations, its time to act now! You can use your voice to conserve important natural resources and to strengthen your community. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) recognizes that when we join together, we have powerful voices that can be heard in your hometown, in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. By writing letters and/or emails, and making phone calls, you can demonstrate your support of conservation. Citizen support ensures that existing conservation laws remain viable, and helps achieve needed change in environmental policy.

Help WPC save the places we care about by connecting people with the natural world around them. Sign up today to receive action alerts about important issues. Call Katherine Smitherman at 412-586-2380, or join our activist network on the Internet at capwiz.com/paconserve/home/.

Do you know someone else who would like to be involved in public policy to help save the places we care about? Sign them up as well, or send WPC their contact information.

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