Targeting Agriculture: Air Quality Policy in California’s San Joaquin Valley

Abstract

Senate Bill (SB) 700 (2003) ended California agriculture’s exemption from national air permits and established a regulatory system of permits and stringent cleanup standards. The legislation also provided agricultural interests ample consideration in both administrative rules and who/what would be covered under the permit system. Policy narratives important in explaining this policy design include: “agriculture as significant contributor” and “agriculture as victim.” These narratives reveal the construction of target populations that portrayed agricultural interests as deserving both policy benefits and punishment. The policy tools created in the legislation both benefited and assessed burdens to this group. The relationship between regulators and agricultural interests was open and allowed for the negotiation of rules and coverage of the permit system. Analysis of these narratives has important implications for policy theory and practitioners.