Evaluating Nonpoint Pollution Policy Using a Tightly Coupled Spatial Decision Support System

摘要

Policy makers often must rely on the cumulative impact of independent actions taken by local landowners to achieve environmental goals. The connection between policy, regulation, and local action, however, is often not well under- stood and, thus, the impact of proposed polices may be diffi- cult to predict. In this study we evaluate the effectiveness of alternative policy scenarios for agricultural set aside pro- grams (e.g., the conservation reserve program adminis- tered by the United States Department of Agriculture) in reducing nonpoint pollution.