The United States - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 27

the states and cities to use in regulating themselves. The next step was to
establish standards for emissions from automobiles.
Muskie and his colleagues needed to determine the guiding principles
for controlling both air and water pollution. Muskie himself believed the
key was science. Senator Howard Baker, a leading Republican, believed
it was technology, and the chairman of the full committee, Jennings
Randolph, believed it was economics. In the end Muskie and Baker pre-
vailed. It was not to be economics. Environmental laws would be based on
science and technology, not how much it would cost.
Government in America is a presidential system, meaning that the
president is very powerful and is elected by the people rather than being
chosen from parliament as in most European countries. The Constitution
was adopted in 1787 in order to strengthen the executive function, and the
president is often referred to as the Chief Executive. Presidents are elected
every 4 years for a fixed term. According to Article II of the Constitution
he is to implement the laws. He is also commander in chief of the army,
navy, and air force. According to the Constitution he can veto a bill passed
by Congress. His powers are greater than this, however. Congress and the
people routinely turn to the president for leadership. He routinely pro-
poses bills to Congress, which are known as “the President's Bill” or “the
Administration Bill.” In fact they are actually written in detail by the
administrative department such as the Environmental Protection Agency.
Particular laws give added authority. For example, the Antiquities Act of
1906 gives the president the authority to declare government-owned land
to be a National Monument, in effect a park. The president is the focus of
television and newspapers. Every word he speaks is publicized, so he can
concentrate the national attention.
Congress consists of two houses, the House of Representatives and the
Senate. It passes all laws, and can override a veto by the president with
a two-thirds vote. The former has 435 members elected directly by the
people in districts based on population. The latter has 100 members, two
for each state, elected directly by the people. All the work of Congress is
done by committees and subcommittees, of which there are dozens. Many
share responsibility for environmental issues, for example, the Senate
Committee on Energy and Natural Resource or the House Committee on
Resources. The two houses duplicate their committee structure, although
not with exactly the same jurisdiction. To become a law, a bill must be
passed in precisely the same form by both houses. When they disagree
(which is frequent), the two houses appoint a conference committee with