THE STATES AND DEREGULATION: THE CASE OF SURFACE MINING |
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Authors: | Michael J. Scicchitano David M. Hedge Patricia Metz |
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Affiliation: | Michael J. Scicchitano is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Florida. His research interests include intergovernmental relations and congressional oversight. His articles have appeared in Journal of Politics, Administration and Society, Legislative Studies Quarterly, and Polity. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1984.;David Hedge is an Associate Professor of Political Science at West Virginia University. He has written extensively on SMCRA. His articles have appeared in Journal of Politics, Western Political Quarterly, and Social Science Quarterly. His research interests include regulatory behavior and intergovernmental relations. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, in 1978.;Patricia Metz is an Analyst with the General Accounting Office and a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at West Virginia University. |
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Abstract: | ![]() The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), passed to correct the abuses of surface mining, assigned key implementation roles to the states. While the federal government originally enforced SMCRA, states could operate the program themselves. Once states decided to run their own program the federal government would oversee them to insure they properly enforce the Act. This research examines the enforcement behavior of states in the 1980s. The results indicate that early in the Reagan administration eastern states enforced the SMCRA less stringently than other states. Eastern states increased their level of enforcement later in the 1980s in response to pressures for increased federal oversight from Congress, interest groups and others. |
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