Institutional Decisions Occur at Multiple Levels

Institutional (government) decisions are made at three principal levels; federal (e.g., the Clean Water Act), regional and state (e.g., watershed management, State wilderness preserves), and local (e.g. land development permits).  Laws and policies made at any level influence laws and policies at other levels.  Laws and policies can also affect land and other environmental resources at multiple levels.  Unfortunately, groups and individuals in these institutions sometimes make decisions with little knowledge or consideration of decisions being made at other levels.  Improved decision-making includes awareness of the cumulative (and incremental) impacts of multiple local decisions (bottom-up) as well as the local consequences of regional and national environmental policy (top-down).