Identify the three branches of the federal government, and describe their roles in environmental policy

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The three branches of the federal government are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch, consisting of the Senate and House of Representatives, is responsible for drafting environmental legislation. If the legislation is approved by majority vote in both the House and Senate, the legislation is passed to the president (part of the executive branch) for approval. Should the president veto the legislation, it can still become law if two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote to override the veto. The senate is also responsible for approving international environmental treaties with a two-thirds majority vote. The executive branch, consisting of the president and governmental agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), is responsible for implementing and enforcing environmental policy. The executive branch is also involved in setting environmental standards. For example, the EPA is responsible for setting pollution standards for the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. The president is also responsible for negotiating international treaties, which then must be approved by the Senate. The judicial branch becomes involved in environmental policy when disagreements arise as to the constitutionality of the laws passed by Congress and enforced by the executive branch. Practically every major environmental law has faced challenges that have been addressed by the courts. For example, in 2007 the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles.