The Journey from Bill to Law: What Aspects of an Environmental Policy Bill Help it Pass?

Abstract

Why do certain bills pass into law while others do not? This paper attempts to determine the differences between those bills that pass and become a law like the Endangered Species Act (1973); and bills that do not make it out of court like the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (2014). It will also interpret these problems and provide solutions that could ultimately lead to greater environmental policy change in the future. This was accomplished via researching and studying the court cases, scientific articles pertaining to the topic, and relevant news around the time that each bill went to the Supreme Court. The paper comes to the conclusion that although great strides have been made in environmental law in the past 70 years, there are still problems in the system that require attention. The bills analyzed might not cover the same issues (endangered species vs. energy conservation), but comparisons can still be made between the processes that brought these bills to the courts. Using these comparisons, changes can be made based on what was successful in the policy of the bill that passed.