Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

8-2024

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Sociology (Applied), PhD

Committee Chair

Heberle, Lauren

Committee Member

Carini, Bob

Committee Member

Merry, Melissa

Committee Member

Roelfs, David

Committee Member

Storey, Angela

Author's Keywords

Environmental protection agency; environmental justice; environmental cleanups

Abstract

Superfund sites represent some of the most contaminated and environmentally sensitive areas in the United States. How these sites are portrayed can significantly influence public perception of environmental risks, the effectiveness of remediation efforts, and the overall state of environmental health. Regulatory agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are entrusted with safeguarding public health and the environment. How they communicate about their actions, successes, and challenges directly impacts public trust and perceptions of their accountability. This dissertation examines the manifest and latent metrics used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine success in Superfund remediation by focusing on how the EPA presents itself to the public through the publication of Superfund Success Stories. The dissertation begins by exploring the concepts of environmental justice, the role of the EPA, and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), better known as Superfund. This is followed by delving into the theoretical foundations of colonialism, path dependency, and institutional betrayal, examining their impact on the EPA’s policy development and implementation. The research methodology incorporates quantitative and qualitative content analysis to examine the manifest and latent content found in the Success Stories. The Success Stories demonstrate how the EPA uses a cost-versus-benefits approach toward Superfund remediation and reuse. This is seen in how the Success Stories' focus on job creation, sales revenues, tax increases, and property appreciation. This shows the impact of using established decision-making processes to address an issue as complex as Superfund sites. While the goal is to clean up and reuse sites in positive ways, these priorities may overemphasize cost-effectiveness and speed while overlooking the broader social consequences.

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