Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/dconn Recent documents in W. David Conn en-us Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:32:55 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/7 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/7 Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:32:51 PDT A comprehensive assessment was conducted of California's Used Oil Program, which was established in 1992 to reduce the illegal disposal, and promote the reuse, of used lubricating oil. This paper summarises selected key findings of the assessment and discusses them in the context of designing and implementing policy instruments for promoting environmentally responsible waste management. The approach known as 'community-based social marketing' is identified as a promising option. W. David Conn Articles http://works.bepress.com/dconn/6 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/6 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:57:19 PDT W. David Conn Presentations http://works.bepress.com/dconn/5 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/5 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:38:24 PDT The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, which emphasizes resource recovery as a goal, provides for states or regional authorities to prepare comprehensive solid waste management plans. A review of the experience in California, where solid waste planning has been required since 1972, shows that communities have generally hesitated to include resource recover in their plans; this seems to be due largely to technological uncertainties, to the existence of economic and institutional biases against recovery, and to the lack of financial assistance for planning and implementation. Some of these obstacles may be overcome, at least in part, by provisions in the new federal act. W. David Conn Articles http://works.bepress.com/dconn/4 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/4 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:38:20 PDT This article examines one important component of the problem of implementing the federal government's Clean Air policy, namely, the difficulty of quantifying the relationship between emissions to the atmosphere and ambient air quality. Short-, middle-, and long-term control strategies are discussed with an emphasis on the information needed for their effective assessment and implementation. The requirement thus identified is compared with the information provided by air pollution models; it is shown that at their present stage of development, even the most sophisticated diffusion models are of limited usefulness in implementing current air pollution legislation. In view of the high cost of pollution control, further investment in model development is thought justifiable, though there are significant problems to be overcome. It is suggested that for the time being, panels of experts might be used to making air quality forecasts. W. David Conn Articles http://works.bepress.com/dconn/3 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/3 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:38:17 PDT Concern over problems of resource depletion, environmental damage, and the ever-increasing costs of disposing of solid wastes has led to a search for new approaches to managing these wastes. One way of reducing the rate at which the wastes are first generated might be to extend the lifetimes of durable products. To assist policymakers in understanding how the lifetimes are determined, an exploratory study has examined factors influencing consumers' decisions to dispose of certain small electrical appliances. Selected findings of a household survey are presented here, focusing on 1) the frequency distribution of disposal choices and the reasons given for disposal, and 2) variables associated with particular disposal options. A tentative model of the process leading from consumer purchase to consumer disposal is proposed. W. David Conn Articles http://works.bepress.com/dconn/1 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/1 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:38:10 PDT Many household products contain hazardous chemicals. When discarded, these products become household hazardous waste, which poses a potential threat to human health and the environment. Planners may be called upon to assist local government officials, who increasingly are coming under pressure to implement special HHW programs, especially collection day events. However, there has been little systematic examination of the actual risks created by HHW, or of the full costs, benefits, and liabilities associated with collection days and other programs. This article synthesizes the current literature on HHW and identifies directions for needed research. W. David Conn Articles http://works.bepress.com/dconn/2 http://works.bepress.com/dconn/2 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:37:48 PDT Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 seeks to reduce the risks of chemical accidents through a strategy of indirect regulation that relies on providing the public with information about chemical hazards. For this strategy to be effective, citizens must aggressively utilize the information provided to monitor industrial practices and press for risk reduction. Since prior research suggests it is very difficult to evoke the degree of citizen action that would be required to make a strategy of indirect regulation successful, and since the federal legislation provided no funds for implementation, there is a question o/whether the structures set up by Title III are sufficient to achieve its objectives. This article reports the results of a national study that examined selected aspects of the implementation of Title III in an effort to assess the likely outcome of its attempt at indirect regulation. Our focus is on the degree to which the Title Ill-mandated Local Emergency Planning Committees are pursuing policies that are likely to get the necessary information to citizens and foster community debate on hazardous materials issues. Richard C. Rich Articles