Can Environmentalists and Business Agree?
Environmentalists aren t the only Americans who care about the environment. I m quite sure that most Americans desire clean air, clean water and protection of our nation s abundant natural gifts. If we agree upon the goals of environmental policy, then what remains undecided are the means to the end. The environmentalist lobby tends to favor strict government regulation, oversight and enforcement, while the business lobby balks at the high cost of complying with these regulations and prefers a more laissez-faire approach. Free-market environmental policies have the promise of pleasing both groups. The private sector is already comfortable with market solutions to problems. If environmentalists can be convinced that market policies will result in equal, or better, protection of the environment, they too will support market reforms. For the last few decades, the United States has relied on overly prescriptive government regulation to protect the environment. This heavy regulation, while
