Genevieve Fettig
Research Mentor(s): Devin Judge-Lord
Mentor Department:
Authors:
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 99
Abstract
Before finalizing regulations, government agencies allow comments from a wide range of stakeholders, including corporations, non-governmental organizations, elected officials, and individuals. These comments typically express support or opposition to the proposed rule, intending to influence its final implementation. This study examines the impact of public comments on policy outcomes, specifically analyzing the Department of Energy (DOE) revisions to the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) on categorical exclusions. Categorical exclusions are policies about types of projects that are exempt from typical NEPA regulations. Using data from the government database Regulations.gov, the study categorizes comments according to their position (opposition or support), the main policy asks made by each organization, and the degree of success in influencing policy outcomes. Comments lobbying for similar objectives are organized into coalitions, which are analyzed to determine their influence on the change from the proposed policy to the final rule. The study seeks to determine which coalitions advocating for specific Department of Energy policies saw the most success in their lobbying. This research project highlights the role of public engagement and the outcome of energy policy regulations.
