Today’s Environmental Issues: Democrats and Republicans. By Teri J. Walker. Across the Aisle. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLO, 2018. 382 p. Acid-free $97 (ISBN 978-1-4408-4709-7). E-book Available (978-1-4408-4710-3), call for pricing.

Walker is an associate professor of political science at Elmhurst College. This volume is part of a series titled “Across the Aisle.” The other titles cover Social Issues, Economic Issues and Foreign Policy Issues. The preface is written by Lindsey Cormack, an assistant professor of political science and director of the Diplomacy Lab at Stevens Institute of Technology. She goes on to state that members of Congress “do not dedicate the same amount of time and focus to each pressing environment issue.” (vii). Cormack presents some tables that contain both topics covered by party e-newsletters and keywords that are used most by each party. The preface also gives an overview of each party’s platform pertaining to environmental issues in 2016. The introduction states that this volume “examines the proposal and positions of the two parties—both the profound disagreements and the areas of common ground between the two parties.” (xviii).

The volume starts with a table of contents and has an alphabetical list of entries. Each signed entry is several pages long and contains an extensive list of “Further Reading” resources. The entries are all structured the same and start with an “At a Glance” summary of the topic. There are bullet points to summarize each party’s positions and then an overview of the subject. Each party’s platform is then covered in-depth.

A sample of topics include “Climate Change,” “Grazing,” “Mining,” “National Parks,” “Solar Energy,” and “Wetlands.” Under “Grazing,” the reader learns that livestock grazing in the Western US has divided the Democrats and Republicans for years. Democrats are in favor of higher grazing fees and stricter regulations while Republicans see higher fees and stricter regulations as harming the competitiveness of ranchers and farmers. There is a separate section within “Grazing” that describes the standoff between the Bundy family and government agents in Nevada.

The end of the volume contains an extensive glossary, a short selective bibliography, an index, and biographical information about the contributors.

There is a series called “Taking Sides: Clashing Views” published by McGraw Hill that covers environmental issues in several different volumes. There is one devoted solely to environmental issues while some of the other broader titles (World Politics, Sustainability) touch on the environment. This title has a unique focus of covering both political parties and is recommended for all libraries. It presents both sides of an environmental issue in a neutral fashion and would be a very useful reference source for anyone interested in how their political leaders view the subject.—Stacey Marien, Acquisitions Librarian, American University, Washington, DC