ABSTRACT
In 2000, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced plans to increase the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques and practices across all agency programs. 1 ADR in this context means the variety of approaches that allow parties to meet face to face to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the issues in a dispute or potentially controversial situation. 2 ADR is often viewed as intervention between conflicting parties or viewpoints to promote reconciliation, settlement, compromise, or understanding. 3 This includes mere assistance from a neutral third party to the negotiation process. 4 Such assistance can be directed toward settling disputes arising out of past events, or it can be directed toward establishing rules to govern future conduct. 5
