Citizen Participation and Collaborative Environmental Management in the Marine Oil Trade of Coastal Alaska

This study compares the contributions to policy change made by two Regional Citizens’ Advisory Councils that participate in the environmental management of the marine oil trade in coastal regions of Alaska. Both councils are remarkably well-funded and long-enduring examples of citizen participation in environmental policy. This study finds that both councils have applied their substantial funding resources to make significant contributions to policy change (policy contributions) in the marine oil trade of coastal Alaska. This study also finds that both councils have greatly magnified their policy contributions through collaborative efforts with many other organizations active in the marine oil trade of Alaska. Therefore, the overall policy contributions of the councils result from the joint application of council resources and collaborative efforts.