ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the evolution of environmental law in the United States (US) the tools of environmental economics, ethical beliefs about the interaction between humans and their environment, and basic science for environmental planning. Economics focuses on incremental effects, such as the effect on the price of a good caused by the cost of producing one more unit of the good or the increase in satisfaction to a consumer from obtaining one more unit of the good. Ethics form the basis of legal systems, economic systems, political action, and public policy about the environment. The legal system forms the foundation for environmental laws and regulations. At the federal level, the environmental protection agency (EPA) has the main responsibility for enforcing environmental laws and standards and proposing new environmental rules. EPA is usually assigned to write the administrative rules. The rules are then presented for public comment.
