A Process for Incorporating Comparative Risk into Environmental Policymaking in Louisiana |
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| Authors: | Regina Thompson Paul H. Templet John K. Gamman Scott T. McCleary Margaret A. Reams |
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| Affiliation: | John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.;Institute for Environmental Studies, 42 Atkinson Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803.;CONCUR–the Collaborative for Environmental Analysis and Conflict Resolution, 107 Nevada, Santa Cruz, California 95060.;CONCUR–the Collaborative for Environmental Analysis and Conflict Resolution, 1832 Second Street, Berkeley, California 94710. |
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| Abstract: | The goal of Louisiana's 1990–1991 comparative risk project, also called the Louisiana Environmental Action Plan (LEAP), was to incorporate risk assessment into state environmental planning and policymaking. Scientists, government officials, and citizens were brought together to estimate the relative risk to human health, natural resources, and quality of life posed by 33 selected environmental issues. The issues were then ranked according to their relative estimated risks. It was hoped that this ranking of "comparative risks" would enable state policymakers to target the most important environmental problems and allocate scarce public resources more rationally and efficiently. As a result of the project, the governor issued an Executive Order forming a permanent Public Advisory Committee to continue this type of comparative risk assessment in Louisiana. |
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| Keywords: | Comparative risk Louisiana rankings policy |
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