Useful Links

SOME USEFUL WEBSITES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYSIS:

Listed below are some usful links for environmental policy analysis as well as environmental policy in general. This is an excellent place to begin research for term papers.

LAW AND LEGISLATION

Environmental Law Net
(Use this site to find the text of legislation)

Environmental Law on the Web
(An annotated guide to several excellent research tools related to environmental law and policy)

THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet
(Provides access to bill summaries and status, Congressional Record, and lots more)

Environment and Energy Daily
(This subscription service, which tracks Congressional activity, has a free-trial option for short-term use)

National Conference of State Legislators--Environmental Health Legislation database
(A searchable database on state legislation on topics such as asthma, mercury, lead poisoning, pesticides and indoor air quality. Provides status and summaries of current legislation)

POLICY ANALYSIS

Congressional Research Service reports on environmental topics
(CRS provides background reports for members of Congress on current legislative issues; extremely useful summaries of legislative history; more than 100 reports on environmental topics, searchable by key word)

GAO reports
(The Government Accountability Office conducts investigations and audits of federal programs for Congress; reports searchable by topic)

Global Footprint Network
(Advances the scientific rigor and practical application of the Ecological Footprint, a tool that quantifies human demand on nature, and nature's capacity to meet these demands)

Resources for the Future
(Environmental economics think tank emphasizing cost-benefit analysis, comparative risk assessment, related techniques)

World Resources Institute
(WRI is an environmental think tank with a global focus; specializes in policy-analytic reports about global resource and environment issues; excellent online 'Earth Trends' database of global environmental indicators)

NEWS AND COMMENTARY

Earthbeat Radio

Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

ENSP Advising News

Environmental News Network (ENN)

Environment News Service (ENS)

ENDS Europe Daily by Environmental Data Services Ltd. (ENDS)

Grist

Mother Earth News

Orion Magazine

Plenty Magazine

Reuters World Environment News by Planet Ark

WorldChanging

A FEW USEFUL RESEARCH GUIDES FROM UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

University of British Columbia research page on environmental policy
(A useful page from one of Canada's top universities, with some great links to databases, organizations, etc.)

University of Illinois Environmental Studies Virtual Library
(Contains an environmental policy research guide with some useful information on environmental dictionaries, journals, and web resources)

Harvard University Environmental Policy Research Guide
(Useful compendium of print and online resources)

Bucknell Environmental Law and Policy Research Guide
(Including links to several useful legal databases)

ADVOCACY AND CITIZEN ACTIVISM

Environmental advocacy groups
(Site includes an extensive list of environmental organizations)

Play A Greater Part
(Brings together people with research projects in sustainability with others who have the time and interest to help perform the research)

Scorecard
(Scorecard is a citizens' information tool on environmental hazards, with a searchable database by industry and location-a great source to zero in on local pollution problems)

Redefining Progress
Center for a New American Dream
(Two NGOs focused on consumption, work, sustainability, and quality-of-life issues)

Environmental Law Institute

INTERNATIONAL

U.N. Environment Programme

U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development

International Institute for Sustainable Development
(IISD operates the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, which monitors international negotiations and global conferences)

Center for International Environmental Law
(CIEL is an environmental advocacy group with an international legal focus)

ECOLEX
(An environmental law information service operated jointly by the UN Environment Program, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Conservation Union/IUCN. Searchable database of national legislation and international treaties).

U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (White House)
(CEQ is a good source for the official description of administration initiatives, particularly interagency activities that are otherwise hard to track; site also has several useful links)

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Dept of Energy, Energy Information Administration
(EIA is the official source for U.S. energy data; lots of accessible data)

U.S. Census Bureau Statistical Abstract
(The Statistical Abstract of the U.S. contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States)

STATE LINKS

State and local government links
(This resource page from the Library of Congress provides links to individual state and local governments across the US, as well as to umbrella organizations such as the National Conference of State Legislators and the National Association of Counties)

Maryland Department of the Environment

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission

Prince George's County Planning Board

Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection

District of Columbia Department of Health, Environmental Health Administration

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS