ABSTRACT
A strong economy requires a healthy environment. Even the most theoretical economist breathes the same air and drinks the same water as members of the Sierra Club. Despite a plethora of new laws and directives by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plus hundreds of billions of dollars of compliance costs expended by private industry, the public remains unhappy with the results. Environmental regulation in the United States covers a great variety of concerns—air pollution, water pollution, pesticides, toxic substances, hazardous wastes, drinking water, ocean dumping, noise emissions, and asbestos in schools. Activities of the EPA center on setting and enforcing standards relating to environmental concerns. Driven by the forces of environmental politics, the nation has repeatedly committed itself to goals and programs that are unrealistic. The EPA lacks the enforcement power over the public sector that it possesses over the private sector.
