Policy Elite Perceptions: Canada, The United States and Acid Rain

Leslie R. Alm

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DOI: 10.2190/1GD5-FQD2-6E22-TEGY

Abstract

This study investigates the perceptions of policy elites (researchers/scientists and members of the affected governments, industries, and environmental groups) in the United States and Canada with respect to the formation and implementation of environmental policy. The setting is the debate over acid rain policy that was carried out between Canada and the United States from the late 1970s until the signing of the 1991 Air Quality Accord. The findings suggest that despite the passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and the signing of the 1991 Air Quality Accord, there exists little faith on both sides of the border that the implementation of these acts will effectively deal with the acid rain problem.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.