As this editorial goes to press, the United States is entering the second week of a war against Iraq. Members of the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) undoubtedly have multiple judgments about this conflict. Some will be called upon to serve directly, others will believe President Bush's choice was correct, and yet others will maintain that in some fundamental way the decision to go to war was flawed. In this way, NAEP's members are unlikely to be different from the American public as a whole.

“The Ethics of Opposition” appeared in issue 4(4) of Environmental Practice and implied that there would be a second essay on the topic. The article has elicited some interesting response from the readers. Part Two, along with some reader comments, is presented here for your consideration.

We, as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practitioners, have a not-surprising tendency to rationalize when things “go off the rails.” We often point to unforeseen and arguably unforeseeable circumstances. The actions of various “unreasonable” stakeholders are commonly cited. EIA processes and documents are frequently lengthy, complex, controversial, and uncertain … all of which is well and good. But such contextual factors are not always at the root of the difficulties encountered in EIA practice. Sometimes the problems that emerge are at least partially attributable to the failure of EIA project managers and study teams to avoid readily identifiable pitfalls. Experienced EIA practitioners should be aware both of the potential pitfalls and of the means of preventing them from occurring—or, at least, of promptly ameliorating adverse consequences as they arise.

Nature writing—that category of American literature that examines our relationship to the land—is enjoying a renewed popularity among adult readers of non-fiction. Since 1968, with the publication of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire—an account of his years as a seasonal ranger in southern Utah—writers such as Annie Dillard, Barry Lopez, Diane Ackerman, and Rick Bass have reached ever wider audiences interested in both fine writing and the natural world. Much of this interest is due in part to the growing number of environmental problems that confront us as Americans and as global citizens. How we live in and with nature, and use and change it, is much in the headlines and on our minds.

Thanks for publishing Nalini Nadkarni's article on churches, trees, and environmental perspectives in Environmental Practice 4(4). For a number of years, I have been involved in trying to reach out to the faith community concerning not only environmental/lifestyle issues, but also addressing the holiness of creation as a reflection of God, and it's good to see this type of outreach highlighted. I belong to what most would consider a fundamentalist denomination, but I find that it's not difficult to work within this context since anyone wanting to truly go “back to the Bible” can find all that is needed there in terms of caring for the earth and not following our American cultural “directives” to consume. Trees form the bookends of the Bible, from the tree of life in the garden in Genesis to the tree of life along the river of life in Revelation, and the mandate in Genesis 2:15 to tend the garden also ends somewhat frighteningly in Revelation 11 with the seventh angel declaring that “the time has come for destroying those who destroy the earth.”

The Army Environmental Policy Institute (AEPI) facilitated the development of the first formal “Army Environmental Strategy,” publishing the document in 1992 with signatures from the Secretary of the Army and Chief of Staff of the Army. This strategy is enduring, as it articulates the Army's vision to be “… a national leader in environmental and natural resource stewardship for present and future generations, as an integral part of all Army missions.”

Aerial photographs are a type of remote sensing data that are especially valuable for rangeland applications. Advantages of these data include relative ease of interpretation and acquisition, affordability, high resolution (1–2 meters), and provision of a common reference for communication among those involved in rangeland management. Additionally, air photos are especially well suited for analysis of historical rangeland remediation treatments because acquisition of widespread aerial photographic coverage began during the 1930s. Several types of treatments can be easily identified and monitored over time, including contour terraces, brush water spreaders, rootplow seeding, water ponding dikes, shrub removal by grubbing, and grazing restrictions. The use of archived aerial photographs allows the opportunity to recreate the management history of rangeland, as well as to serve as a point of departure for involvement in more sophisticated satellite-based remote sensing systems.

Ecosystems management can be viewed as an explicit attempt to build and manage interorganizational networks. A review of environmental management literature, however, reveals very little use of network organization models. For environmental professionals who encounter diverse stakeholders in their practice, this article offers a conceptual framework and case study that demonstrate the utility of approaching ecosystems as networks. Virtual network and learning organization models, combined with holographic (systems) thinking and generative learning paradigms, help explain how collaboration among multiple stakeholders in ecosystems management can work. The case of “Monroe 2020,” the process for generating and implementing the comprehensive plan for Monroe County, Pennsylvania, provides a real-life illustration. The Monroe 2020 plan focuses on environmental quality and community economic goals, melded with resolution of long-standing conflict and commitment to a shared vision of the County's future. It emerged through a deliberate effort to build a broad-based, long-term constituency and tools for implementation. Monroe 2020 as plan and process represents a practical, mutually reinforcing alignment of natural ecosystems management and management of the built environment for human settlement. By fostering better understanding of how to create and manage effective collaborative partnerships, the ideas expressed here can contribute significantly to improved ecosystems management.

In November 1994, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) conducted an environmental audit of the North Pacific Division Laboratory in Troutdale, Oregon. The North Pacific Division Laboratory performed geotechnical and chemical testing of materials for government agencies for the period 1948–1997. The audit results revealed serious deficiencies in environmental management and compliance that posed threats to human health, safety, and the environment. Specifically, the North Pacific Division Laboratory had nine “Major Findings” and one “Significant Finding.” Major Findings require action, but not necessarily immediate action, whereas Significant Findings require immediate attention. Types of deficiencies at the facility included unlabeled and improperly stored hazardous waste in storage sheds, an improperly abandoned and contaminated water supply well, illegal discharge of chemical wastewater into a local drainage ditch, and a non-permitted landfill containing buried 55-gallon drums of unknown substances. Chemicals commonly used at the North Pacific Division Laboratory included petroleum products, heavy metals, organic solvents, and chemical reagents. Following unsuccessful attempts to communicate the North Pacific Division Laboratory's noncompliance issues through normal USACE channels, one author (Jeffrey A. Hepler) exercised provisions afforded under the Whistleblower Protection Act and contacted the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. This paper discusses the sequence of events that led to the eventual closure of the North Pacific Division Laboratory and provides recommendations for environmental professionals involved in environmental auditing and compliance. These recommendations include examining the efficacy of existing environmental management plans, utilizing professional and independent auditors, changing audit frequencies from five to three years, and reporting audit results directly to senior management.

State transportation agencies, in an effort to show a lack of bias toward alternatives under consideration, often do not disclose their Preferred Alternative in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), even if they are inclined to prefer a particular choice at that stage. Typically, the Draft EIS is released for review, comments are received, a Preferred Alternative is designated, the Preferred Alternative is disclosed with release of the Final EIS (where the comments on the Draft EIS are also addressed), a 30-day review period follows, and then a Record of Decision is published. The public has sometimes criticized this process as shutting them out of decision making. This article discloses the findings of questionnaires given to transportation agency officials in various states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, reporting information on recent Draft and Final EISs for transportation projects. The objective was to determine what proportion of Draft EISs for transportation projects disclose the Preferred Alternative at that stage, and what proportion of projects allow the public to comment on a Final EIS and its Preferred Alternative determination. After identifying common trends, suggestions are made for improving the decision-making process in order to empower the public to be a full partner.

Environmental regulatory agencies are an important element in regulatory policy design and its implementation. In this regard, it is incumbent on them to enforce and monitor environmental regulations, as increased monitoring and inspections can increase compliance. The research presented here has identified a number of factors that impede effective monitoring and enforcement by environmental regulatory institutions in Ghana. I also propose that direct external control and the threat of punishment by regulatory agencies are not the sole mechanisms that motivate regulated organizations to work toward the attainment of environmental goals and objectives. In some instances, regulated organizations implement a policy of voluntary compliance in the service of their committed objectives. Furthermore, the watchdog behavior of local communities plays a crucial role in sensitizing mining firms about the impact of their activities on the environment. In this study, in addition to voluntary compliance, traditional authorities and other informal organizations have been effective in controlling and ensuring environmental compliance by mining organizations.

Environmental regulations have evolved and expanded in a variety of directions since the 1960s, and now include preventative measures such as Clean Air Act 112r Catastrophic Release Planning, and, under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act, State Emergency Response Commissions that have emergency planning responsibilities that address air contaminant releases through toxic chemical contingency and response plans. Information is available from many existing programs, both state and federal, that can be used to evaluate potential air releases, including the Toxics Release Inventory, Risk Management Plans, and spill reporting requirements. A study was conducted to evaluate whether there is any regulatory consensus that can be used by the Connecticut State Emergency Response Commission for hazardous materials release response planning and control strategies. Three distinct regulatory programs were evaluated to determine whether one group of chemicals, industry sector, or geographic area exhibited a greater magnitude of, or similar types of, air contaminant releases. Based on 1998 Envirofacts data, it was concluded that for Connecticut: (1) there were no predominant chemicals reported under the various regulations studied; (2) most air emissions of concern are permitted; and (3) there appear to be no regulatory redundancies regarding the chemicals reported. This may not be true for other states, however, and an assessment, by state, of air pollution regulations affecting industrial facilities can be useful for evaluating reporting requirements and eliminating duplicative efforts. Although significant trends were not identified in this study, the emergency response planning database has been increased, and Connecticut emergency planning professionals will be better able to define the potential effects of chemical releases.