Stopping the pendulum

The Environmental Protection Agency's Budget from 1970 to 2010: A Lifecycle Analysis

“…He wrote that “in the case of environmental policy these violent swings have had an unusually devastating—perhaps a uniquely devastating—effect on the executive agency entrusted to carry out whatever environmental policy the nation says it wants” (Ruckelshaus , 229). He added, using a powerful metaphor, that “The EPA suffers from battered agency syndrome” (emphasis in original) and implored Congress and the public to “stop the continuous swings of political and rhetorical excess that have caused much of the damage.”…”

“…Ruckelshaus offered the following explanation for the violent swings in the agency's fortunes: “The anti‐environmental push of the nineties is prompted by the pro‐environmental excess of the late eighties, which was prompted by the anti‐environmental excess of the early eighties, which was prompted by the pro‐environmental excess of the seventies, which was prompted … Why go on? The pattern is quite clear” (Ruckelshaus , 229).…”

“…Moreover, the decline in the middle of President Clinton's first term coincided with the Gingrich revolution in which Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. William Ruckelshaus, writing during this time, used the analogy for the EPA's budget of a pendulum swinging back and forth, with each swing representing a backlash to the previous period of pro‐ or antiregulatory fervor (Ruckelshaus ).…”

“…The frequent shifts described in this section reflect ongoing tensions between the priorities of presidents and Congress. These changes in accounts within the annual budget have destabilizing effects on the agency independent of overall changes in the total budget (Ruckelshaus ).…”

Environmental Federalism in a Polarized Era

“…Federalism provides ballast in which one level of government can constrain rapid or abrupt policy shifts occurring at another level. Ruckelshaus’ swings of the pendulum have become ever more pronounced nationally, especially since the 2016 election (Ruckelshaus 1996). Federalism limits swings of the pendulum by placing federal and state authority in opposition and offsetting policy instability.…”