The Power of Influence

     In crafting and enforcing environmental legislation, many different parties have their say. Industry and environmentalists are two of those parties that have significant influence over legislation and enforcement. By environmentalists I mean the major environmental groups and their millions of members. In general, industry is better at garnering funds, while environmentalists are better at generating votes and public support (Goodstein and Polasky 263). While industry outspends environmentalists, their dollar doesn't goes far because it doesn't carry the votes that environmentalist dollars do. Nonetheless, the substantial political influence between the two groups is undisputed, and recent lobbying and campaign finance reforms reflect growing concern over their influence.  

    It is fair to say that environmentalists are generally favored by the public in terms of information and political influence. This reflects their success over industry in influencing environmental legislation. Both groups spend millions on lobbyists and lawyers to win the influence game, and legislation is often delayed or compromised. Getting the right "information" to lawmakers and the public is where most of this money goes. Both sides find researchers and experts that find information that confirms their stances. For instance, researchers hired by fossil fuel industries might point to efficiency standard concerns for certain legislation and garner support from congressmen in states where those industries are more prevalent. Conversely, environmental groups lobby for information that suggests safety standards are more important. Government agencies are often burdened by this information war between these two groups which further contributes to reporting-bias.

    While money is important for hiring researchers, lawyers and lobbyists it also buys access to lawmakers. Good lobbyists often have strong access to lawmakers because of the revolving door in lawmaking and lobbying. Working in congress might be a stepping stone for a large pay day in working as a lobbyist for industry. While environmentalists generally outperform industry in influencing legislation, industry performs better in the regulatory sphere because of their monetary advantage. This is where significant outspending on lobbyists pays off for industry. After legislation has been passed, industry often has more influence by spending more on lobbying "implementation and enforcement of these laws by state officials" (Goodstein and Polasky 264). 

    The power of influence resides in both environmentalists and industry. In general, environmentalists have the advantage in influencing laws, and industry has the advantage in influencing how those laws play out. Environmentalists generally push toward overregulation to mitigate industry's advanatage in the regulatory field. Concerns over how much influence these parties have on environmental legislation and regulation have been expressed, but stances on both sides of the spectrum are being advocated.     

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GOODSTEIN, E. S. (2014). ECONOMICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. S.l.: JOHN WILEY.