 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Reinventing by Judy Beck Each major anniversary of Earth Day has produced not only a list of accomplishments, but also a list of new challenges that had not been previously contemplated. As technology was fined tuned, we found more pollution; as activities became regulated in our country, environmental disasters around the world, like Bopahl and Chernoble, proved that pollution control is a global problem. And even more unsettling was the discovery of a hole in the atmosphere that would take an undetermined number of years to repair. The 25th anniversary of Earth Day is no exception. It arrives as the country and Congress are rethinking the basic governmental structure and relationships. The thought of tinkering with the structure that has been so successful in improving human health and the environment is unsettling. But serious problems remain, and we need to build upon the past successes while exploring new, more innovative common sense approaches for the future. These changes are aimed at moving environmental protection closer to the areas and people that need protection. On March 16,1995, the President and Vice President announced a major new policy direction for environmental protection. A summary follows. 25 Years of Progress Since the first Earth Day almost 25 years ago, the American people have enjoyed dramatic improvements in public health, worker safety, and the natural environment. We have taken lead out of gasoline and paint. We have virtually eliminated direct discharge of raw sewage into the nation's water. We have banned DDT and other dangerous and persistent pesticides. Because of these and other actions, lead levels in the average American's bloodstream have dropped by 25 percent since 1976, millions of Americans can now fish and swim in formerly polluted waters, and the bald eagle—once close to extinction—has been removed from the list of endangered species. Improvements in the quality of our air, water, and land represent investments in the future that will pay dividends for generations to come.
But, for all the progress we have made, serious environmental problems remain. Examples include: It is clear that we have not finished the job. We must build on the successes of the past to construct a framework for continued success in the future. Many of the successes achieved thus far have been based on "end-of-the-pipe," "command-and-control" approaches. Under this system, federal and state governments have set standards, issued permits for pollutant discharges, and then inspected, monitored and enforced the standards set for each environmental statute. By regulating emission sources to the air, water and land, we have addressed many of the obvious environmental problems. But as we achieved these successes, we learned a great deal about the limitations of command-and-control. Prescriptive regulations can be inflexible, resulting in costly actions that defy common sense by requiring greater costs for smaller returns. This approach can discourage technological innovation that can lower the costs of regulation or achieve environmental benefits beyond compliance. Prescriptive regulation is often less effective in addressing some of the more diffuse sources of pollution that we will face in the years ahead. We have seen both the value and the limitations of command-and-control regulation and end-of-pipe strategies. They will remain possible policy options to be chosen if they are the most efficient, effective—or only—solutions to future environmental problems. But we also know that we must expand available policy tools to include new and innovative ways to achieve greater levels of environmental protection at a lower cost. (continued)
Reinventing
For example, we have learned that setting "performance
standards" and allowing the regulated community to find
the best way to meet them can get results cheaper and
quicker—and cleaner—than mandating design standards or
specific technologies. We can promote both lower-cost environmental protection and innovation in pollution control
and prevention technology. Using performance standards
along with economic incentives encourages innovation. The
lower-cost and most effective strategies earn a greater return in the marketplace. Accountability and responsibility
must accompany this increased flexibility so our citizens
have confidence that our environmental goals are, in fact,
being met.
We have also learned that a healthy environment and a
healthy economy go hand-in-hand. This growing awareness is demonstrated by the strong support that the concept
of sustainable development has received from both industry and environmentalists across the country and around the
world. Our economic and our environmental goals must be
mutually reinforcing to produce both jobs and environmental
quality.
We have learned that the adversarial approach that has
often characterized our environmental system precludes opportunities for creative solutions that a more collaborative
system might encourage. When decision-making is shared,
people can bridge differences, find common ground and
identify new solutions. To reinvent environmental protection, we must first build trust among traditional adversaries.
We have certainly learned that Washington, D.C. is not
the source of all the answers. There is growing support for
sharing decision-making by shifting more authority—and
responsibility—from the federal government to states, tribes
and local communities.
Drawing upon the lessons of the last 25 years, the
Clinton/Gore Administration is committed to reinventing
our environmental protection system. This is a positive effort to build upon the strengths of the current system, while
overcoming its limitations. We will reform the system, not
undermine it. We will bring people together in support of
reform, rather than further polarizing a debate that has been
polarized for too long already.
In tackling this challenge, we are guided by a commitment to the progress of the last 25 years, a vision for the
next 25 years, a set of 10 principles (see listing below),
and the knowledge that the American people want common
sense protection of public health and the environment.
Judy Beck is the State Relations Manager/or the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Region 5. She serves on
the Glenview Park District's Board of Directors and is immediate past president of the Illinois Association of Park
Districts. •
Illinois Parks & Recreation • March/April 1995 • 25
|
|
|