Record Details
Seeking Balance in Oregon’s Coastal River Aggregate Mining Policy: How Do Scientists Inform the Permit Streamlining Process?
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Seeking Balance in Oregon’s Coastal River Aggregate Mining Policy: How Do Scientists Inform the Permit Streamlining Process? |
| Names |
Ewing, Amy
(creator) Gaines, Lisa (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2010-04-01T16:44:15Z (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2010 |
| Abstract | This essay presents a case study of the Regional Gravel Initiative (RGI) workshop, one instance of policy makers using science to inform decision making for sustainable and streamlined processes. The RGI consists of eight agencies, both federal and state, with responsibilities for informing and issuing permits for mining aggregate on Oregon’s coastal rivers and streams. Aggregate is an essential component of infrastructure, but regulations protecting water quality and salmon habitat have contributed to decreased aggregate yields from in-stream sources. Recognizing the state’s need to balance these competing resources, the RGI conducted a workshop featuring scientific panelists who were tasked with providing and interpreting information for policy makers. This essay specifically addresses the question how do scientists inform the permit streamlining process? using Pielke’s Honest Broker framework. Document review, participant observation, and interview methods are used to analyze the roles scientists filled in informing policy makers. Results show that scientists collectively acted as honest brokers of policy alternatives, expanding and clarifying options to decision makers. The workshop setting limited scientists’ abilities to act in other ways, but scientists are presented with opportunities to inform through other roles in other settings throughout the policy process. This essay will be useful to continuing and future efforts to streamline and inform policy processes. Policy makers should be aware of the roles scientists may fill in informing decision making and of their abilities to direct scientists’ impact on policy processes. |
| Genre | Research Paper |
| Topic | Mining Policy |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/15199 |
