Introduction
Oregon is one of the fifty states of the United States of America that was constituted on February 14th 1859 and is the currently the 28th most populous states of the US. Oregonians are generally known to be very industrious people who run their state industries of timber, paper products, farming, coal mining as well as electronics.
Ten Year Plan for Healthy Environment
The ten year plan for healthy environment is a legislative policy document for Oregon that was expected to enhance a healthy environment alongside economic development. The expected outcome of this policy was to enhance good management of Oregon’s air, water, land and wildlife resources (10 years plan, 1). This in turn would support a healthy environment that would sustain their economy and the places they value as a state. The implementation of this policy was to incorporate fifteen agencies running several programs across the state.
In order to achieve this vision, a number of strategies were laid down. For instance, the government was expected to improve existing sources of energy, create new forms of energy as well as develop home-grown renewable energy (10 years plan, 1). Besides these, the state was to partner with the local governments to invest in improving water and waste water system as well as encouraging local land owners to protect drinking water. In response to environmental pollution, the policy was meant to improve stewardship and proper management of toxic chemicals. This would in turn minimize negative impacts of environmental toxins on the poor populations and also reduce polluted runoff from industries (Oregon, 1).
Economic effects of Ten Year Plan for Healthy Environment
A preview of this policy reveals that its effective implementation is likely to create positive effects to the society. To begin with, proper implementation of this policy would enhance responsible use of natural resources that would not only maximize their benefit today, but would also preserve them for the future generations (Crandall, 6). Reduction of toxic wastes is also likely to improve general health of human populations as well as other living creatures in the ecosystem. Building a healthy ecology is likely to minimize prevalence of diseases that are related to unhealthy environment (Crandall, 13).
In addition to these, this policy can positively promote international and global partnership for development. This is based on the fact that it tends to encourage the state to responsibly carry out her industrial activities, by trying to minimize any negative consequences on other states. This policy therefore is a practical way of attaining balanced ecological and economic interests in development (Oregon, 1). However, this policy is limited by a number of factors and is likely to create certain negative economic impacts. For instance, the policy can only be effective if uniformly applied by all states. Since this universal application has not been experienced, irresponsible industrial actions from other states continue to distort the environment and frustrate their efforts (Crandall, 9). Furthermore, this policy may hinder the capitalist’s ambition of maximizing profits. Most of the states of the world are capitalistic in nature and are likely to compromise environmental ethics in pursuit of their capitalistic goals (Crandall, 12).
Conclusion
Oregon is one of the American states that have made an attempt to pursue economic development alongside healthy environment ethics through her ten year plan for healthy environment. An attempt to implement this is likely to create both positive and negative effects on the economy of the state.