Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
rational political actors. The emphasis of rational politics is on the devel-
opment and upkeep of the nexus of technical experts, the state, legislation,
and infrastructure networks. Rational politics in the United States emerged
in the late nineteenth century with the Sanitary Movement and gradually
transformed into technomanagerial governance. During this same period,
there was a defi nitive split over the human relationship with nature. John
Muir argued for a preservationist approach to environmental management
to protect pristine natural areas from human destruction; Gifford Pinchot
developed the conservation ideology of Wise Use to professionally man-
age natural resources effectively and effi ciently. Despite their markedly
different perspectives, they shared a faith in top-down, technomanagerial
governance to enact the dominant conception of nature/culture relations. 4
Today, rational politics is understood as the most effective approach to
mediate human/nature relations through state-sponsored practices of regu-
lation, enforcement, and oversight.
In Austin and Seattle, rational politics of urban runoff is practiced by
the municipalities who are charged with building, maintaining, and up-
grading the stormwater networks. The regulatory approach of the City
of Austin's Watershed Protection and Development Review Department
and Seattle Public Utilities enrolls scientists, engineers, contractors, code
writers, program managers, and inspectors to assess and monitor envi-
ronmental conditions, create and enact municipal legislation, upgrade and
extend the existing drainage networks, and enforce pollution regulations.
Rational politics is typically described as a “command-and-control” form
of environmental governance with technical experts as central actors. 5 This
approach was particularly evident beginning in the late 1960s, as federal
legislation such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Wa-
ter Act, and the Clean Air Act solidifi ed the federal government's role as
the ultimate manager of environmental quality. The administrative state
extended its purview beyond social regulation to include nonhumans, with
the ultimate goal of establishing and enforcing socially acceptable levels
of environmental pollution.
The criteria for rational governance are determined by engineers, scien-
tists, and lawyers—a group of professionals that Shutkin refers to as the
“holy trinity” of environmental expertise. 6 These experts are assumed to
stand above the political process while the public benefi ts from the applica-
tion of their specialized knowledge, carrying over the nineteenth century
concept of apolitical expertise. 7 In the eyes of technomanagerial actors,
politics is a problem rather than a solution to the nature/culture dilemma;
thus, environmental pollution is most effectively addressed by individuals
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