"Ernst has written a book that is packed with information on the politics and science behind the past,
present, and future management of the Chesapeake Bay. He digs deep into the exterior and interior layers of policy
and procedure that surround Chesapeake Bay protection measures. Ernst presents complex ideas and concepts in detail
while still making them accessible to beginning students or interested lay readers--no small task. Backed by a
plethora of cited references, Ernst goes further than most authors and provides a detailed "Notes" section
on interesting and necessary background and "See also" information for each chapter. A wise choice for
all academic libraries as well as for all public libraries..."
--Library Journal
"Chesapeake Bay Blues cuts through the rhetorical muck, which, like the algae blooms in the bay, tends to
shut out the light."
--The Washington Post
"Ernst has made some bold conclusions and in doing so, he's bucking the conventional wisdom esposed by the
conglomeration of interests involved in the Bay restoration effort."
--Bay Weekly
Publisher Web Site, February, 2004
Summary
The Chesapeake Bay restoration effort has been touted as the nation's premier environmental restoration program.
Yet the Bay and the living systems it supports remain in dismally poor condition, with fisheries in decline and
drinking water in danger. This book addresses the Chesapeake Bay as a political problem and reveals how the political
process has worked against the interests of science, the public, and environmental advocates all at once. Author
Howard Ernst shows that the forces driving environmental degradation are sown deeply into the political soul of
America, posing menacing challenges to those fighting to restore large ecosystems like the Chesapeake Bay. The
book serves as a political roadmap for the future, suggesting how a different course of policy action is needed
to "Save the Bay."
Special Features:
Successfully blends political and environmental issues in an accessible style.
Provides a clear and critical analysis of the nation's premier restoration effort and how it has come up short.
Offers a series of political reforms that provide a clear road map for correcting many of the political problems
plaguing the Bay.
Tables, figures, and case studies illustrate the science and politics of an important environmental policy
problem.
Table of Contents
I The Chesapeake Bay and Environmental Politics
The Chesapeake Bay: Management of North America's Largest Estuary; Managing the Chesapeake Bay; The State of
the Bay: A Limited Inventory of Living Resources; Conclusion
The Chesapeake Bay as a Political Dilemma: Understanding the Political Barriers to Environmental Policy; "It's
the Economy, Stupid": How Economic Primacy Influences Environmental Politics; Divided Government and the Race
to the Bottom: How America's Fragmented Political System Works against Environmental Innovation; Free Riding: Unuderstanding
the Interest Group Imbalance in Environmental Politics; The Policy Cycle, Focusing Events, and Political Leaders:
Making the Most of Limited Opportunities for Environmental Innovation; Putting the Pieces Together
II Nutrient Management and Bay Politics
Swimming against the Tide: Nutrient Reduction Efforts in the Bay Watershed; The Difficulty of Achieving Nutrient
Reductions; The Scorecard: Measuring Nutrient; Reduction "Success"; Conclusion
The Political Fight of Nutrient Management Policy: The Case of Agricultural Regulation; Agricultural Nutrient Loading;
Political Background: The Fight for Enforceable Agricultural Regulations in Maryland and Pennsylvania; Environmental
Theory: Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Agricultural Regulation Fight; Economic Primacy and Agricultural Policy
for the Bay; the Interest Group Imbalance and Agricultural Policy for the Bay; Divided Government and Agricultural
Policy for the Bay; The Policy Cycle, Focusing Events, and Political Leaders: Making the Most of Limited Opportunities
for Agricultural Reform; Conclusion
III The Blue Crab and Bay Politics
All You Can Eat? The Difficult Task of Protecting the Blue Crab; The Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus); The Decline
of the Blue Crab; Factors Complicating Blue Crab Management for the Chesapeake Bay; The Struggle for a Sensible
Management Strategy; Conclusion
Battling Over the Blue Crab: The Politics of Crab Management in Virginia and Maryland; Blue Crab Management in
Virginia; Blue Crab Management in Maryland; Environmental Theory: Toward a Deeper understanding of Blue Crab Management;
Economic Primacy and Blue Crab Management for the Chesapeake Bay; Interest Group Politics and Blue Crab Management
for the Bay; Divided Goverment and Blue Crab Management for the Bay; The Policy Cycle, Focusing Events, and Political
Leaders: Making the Most of Limited Opportunities for Blue Crab Management; Conclusion
IV Learning from the Past
Toward a Brighter Future for the Chesapeake Bay; Ten Measures to Improve Politics for the Bay; Concludsion
