Subnational Context Research Articles

Hazardous Waste and Policy Implementation: The Subnational Role

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) allows state governments policy development opportunities and operational responsibility for their hazardous waste program. States must establish programs that meet minimum federal requirements or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will itself develop and implement a program in that state. During 1980-1985, a number of states have been granted either "interim" or "full" authorization by the EPA for their hazardous waste programs. However, substantial variation still exists in terms of states' commitment to the responsible management of hazardous wastes. This article describes state policy responses toward program responsibility for hazardous waste management and then analyzes the factors that have delayed implementation of RCRA. In doing so, it also suggests prospects for (and problems of) empirically testing hypotheses concerned with hazardous waste policy implementation within the subnational context.