| A leading debate in environmental policy involves race-based and class-based disparities in environmental protection. While environmental justice advocates maintain that there are disparities in the enforcement of environmental laws, there is a lack of empirical literature examining this relationship. This dissertation consists of a theoretical paper discussing the importance of equal protection of environmental legislation and two papers that empirically test for disparities in enforcement. Using data from the Integrated Database for Enforcement Analysis (IDEA) and the U.S. Census Bureau, this paper examines patterns of state enforcement of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) nationwide from 2002-2011 to determine if states engage in less enforcement in counties with higher minority and lower-income populations. Using zero-inflated negative binomial models, results indicate modest evidence of race-based disparities in levels of inspections, both race-based and class-based disparities in levels of informal actions, and evidence of class-based disparities in levels of formal actions. Furthermore, there is evidence of age based disparities in levels of inspections, informal actions, and formal actions. Finally, the results also indicate evidence that socially disorganized areas receive fewer inspections or regulatory actions. |
