Property and Environment Research Center
Encyclopedia
The Property and Environment Research Center, or PERC, is a free market environmentalist
think tank
based in Bozeman, Montana
, United States
. Established in 1982 as the Political Economy Research Center, PERC is dedicated to original research on market approaches to resolving environmental problems. PERC is primarily funded by foundation
shttp://www.perc.org/aboutperc/funds.php.
and Clean Water Act
. PERC claims that government policy is the root cause of much environmental degradation. The Dust Bowl Reconsidered, for instance, blames the federal Homestead Act
for accelerating erosion
problems by limiting claims of newly settled land to 160-320 acre (0.65 to 1.3 km²) parcelshttp://www.perc.org/publications/percreports/dec2004/tangents.php. According to this article, fragmented land ownership reduced the incentives for implementing erosion countermeasures and made it difficult for farmers to negotiate contracts for voluntary soil conservation.
PERC also addresses the environmental problems of developing countries
. For instance, a 2005 PERC Report noted that farmers were growing chili pepper
s along the boundaries of their fields to prevent elephant
s from damaging their crops, since elephants find spicy foods unpalatable. The chili peppers are cheaper than electric fence
s and can be sold as a cash crop
.
Moreover, PERC addresses governance issues such as the ongoing controversy about the roles of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency
in setting environmental policies. PERC advocates greater Congressional involvement in creating environmental laws, since Congress is directly accountable to the voters, and its laws do not require elaborate rationalization to ensure survival of judicial review
. Since the EPA only promulgates about five major rules annually, PERC believes that Congress has time to take on greater responsibility in environmental legislation.
PERC seeks to influence public policy by publishing guides for Congressional staff and organizing weeklong seminars for undergraduates. The organization's monthly publication, PERC Reports, regularly features articles questioning assumptions that form the basis of U.S. federal environmental law.
Unlike many other think tanks critical of environmental laws enacted by Democrat
s, PERC does not even indirectly support Republican
candidates. In October 2004, shortly before the U.S. Presidential election, PERC released a report card giving President George W. Bush
a "D-" in organic pollutant control and an "F" in air quality regulationhttp://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/include/print.php?single=10220405.
Although PERC's free market environmentalist theories are similar to the Cato Institute
's, PERC has not drawn the same amount of fire from liberal environmental groups. The reason may be that PERC has preferred to focus on education and analysis, rather than criticizing the Worldwatch Institute
and similar environmental organizationshttp://www.cato.org/research/articles/taylor-990127.html.
Free-market environmentalism
Free-market environmentalism is a position that argues that the free market, property rights, and tort law provide the best tools to preserve the health and sustainability of the environment...
think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
based in Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Established in 1982 as the Political Economy Research Center, PERC is dedicated to original research on market approaches to resolving environmental problems. PERC is primarily funded by foundation
Foundation (charity)
A foundation is a legal categorization of nonprofit organizations that will typically either donate funds and support to other organizations, or provide the source of funding for its own charitable purposes....
shttp://www.perc.org/aboutperc/funds.php.
Principles
PERC's free market environmentalism is based on the following tenetshttp://www.perc.org/aboutperc/index.php:- Private propertyPropertyProperty is any physical or intangible entity that is owned by a person or jointly by a group of people or a legal entity like a corporation...
rights encourage stewardship of resources. - Government subsidiesSubsidyA subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
often degrade the environment. - Market incentives spur individuals to conserve resources and protect environmental quality.
- PolluterPollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
s should be liable for the harm they cause others.
Outreach
PERC analysts have published numerous books and articles sharply critical of popular U.S. environmental laws such as the Clean Air ActClean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
and Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
. PERC claims that government policy is the root cause of much environmental degradation. The Dust Bowl Reconsidered, for instance, blames the federal Homestead Act
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....
for accelerating erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
problems by limiting claims of newly settled land to 160-320 acre (0.65 to 1.3 km²) parcelshttp://www.perc.org/publications/percreports/dec2004/tangents.php. According to this article, fragmented land ownership reduced the incentives for implementing erosion countermeasures and made it difficult for farmers to negotiate contracts for voluntary soil conservation.
PERC also addresses the environmental problems of developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
. For instance, a 2005 PERC Report noted that farmers were growing chili pepper
Chili pepper
Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s along the boundaries of their fields to prevent elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s from damaging their crops, since elephants find spicy foods unpalatable. The chili peppers are cheaper than electric fence
Electric fence
An electric fence is a barrier that uses electric shocks to deter animals or people from crossing a boundary. The voltage of the shock may have effects ranging from uncomfortable, to painful or even lethal...
s and can be sold as a cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
.
Moreover, PERC addresses governance issues such as the ongoing controversy about the roles of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
in setting environmental policies. PERC advocates greater Congressional involvement in creating environmental laws, since Congress is directly accountable to the voters, and its laws do not require elaborate rationalization to ensure survival of judicial review
Judicial review
Judicial review is the doctrine under which legislative and executive actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Specific courts with judicial review power must annul the acts of the state when it finds them incompatible with a higher authority...
. Since the EPA only promulgates about five major rules annually, PERC believes that Congress has time to take on greater responsibility in environmental legislation.
PERC seeks to influence public policy by publishing guides for Congressional staff and organizing weeklong seminars for undergraduates. The organization's monthly publication, PERC Reports, regularly features articles questioning assumptions that form the basis of U.S. federal environmental law.
Unlike many other think tanks critical of environmental laws enacted by Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
s, PERC does not even indirectly support Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidates. In October 2004, shortly before the U.S. Presidential election, PERC released a report card giving President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
a "D-" in organic pollutant control and an "F" in air quality regulationhttp://www.eenews.net/Greenwire/include/print.php?single=10220405.
Although PERC's free market environmentalist theories are similar to the Cato Institute
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Edward H. Crane, who remains president and CEO, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the conglomerate Koch Industries, Inc., the largest privately held...
's, PERC has not drawn the same amount of fire from liberal environmental groups. The reason may be that PERC has preferred to focus on education and analysis, rather than criticizing the Worldwatch Institute
Worldwatch Institute
The Worldwatch Institute is a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan Survey of Sustainability Experts.-Mission:...
and similar environmental organizationshttp://www.cato.org/research/articles/taylor-990127.html.