The State of the Environment—An Overview - The Antiregulatory Movement

Since the mid-1980s dissatisfaction with government regulation has grown. In 1994 the newly elected Republican-controlled Congress attempted to strike down a wide variety of federal regulations, including environmental regulations that they considered overly burdensome. Bills were introduced to relax regulations established under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, the Superfund toxic-waste cleanup program, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and other environmental statutes. Much of that legislation ultimately failed to pass. However, congressional budget cuts for the agencies responsible for carrying out these acts meant that many of the laws were not strongly enforced.

Several factors contributed to this reaction to federal regulation. During the early days of the environmental era, the United States was experiencing a post-World War II economic boom, leading Americans to regard regulatory costs as sustainable. During the 1970s and 1980s, as economic growth slowed, wages stagnated and Americans became uncertain about the future. An increasing number of Americans started to question the costs of environmental protection. They began to pay more attention to the business leaders and politicians who had claimed since the beginning of the environmental protection movement that regulations would hurt the economy and cost people jobs. Although the national economy improved tremendously in the 1990s, it did not eliminate people's concerns

TABLE 1.1
Growth expected in U.S. environmental industry sectors, 1970–2010

Environmental industry segment	1970 $	70-80 growth	80-90 growth	90-00 growth	00-10 growth
Services
Analytical services	0.1	300%	314%	−26%	−33%
Wastewater treatment works	4.3	116%	116%	34%	36%
Solid waste management	3.2	164%	208%	45%	20%
Hazardous waste management	0.1	550%	921%	15%	49%
Remediation/industrial services	0.1	550%	1813%	5%	36%
Consulting & engineering	0.3	367%	761%	21%	21%
Equipment
Water equipment and chemicals	3.2	117%	95%	57%	31%
Instruments & information systems	0.1	100%	820%	84%	1%
Air pollution control equipment	1.0	196%	258%	30%	44%
Waste management equipment	2.0	105%	159%	20%	24%
Process & prevention technology	0.0	259%	418%	192%	83%
Resources
Water utilities	5.7	109%	67%	53%	25%
Resource recovery (recycling)	1.2	283%	197%	29%	28%
Environmental energy sources	0.3	420%	15%	87%	82%
U.S. totals:	$21.4	145%	178%	35%	12%
SOURCE: Andrew Paterson, "Several Service Sectors Declining; Water, Energy Growing," in Environmental Market Outlook to 2010, Briefing for EPA-NACEPT, Environmental Business International, San Diego, CA, June 11, 2002

about the potential negative effects of environmental regulations on the economy.

The impact of environmental regulations on private property use has also played a very important role in the change in attitudes. The Endangered Species Act and the wetlands provisions of the Clean Water Act spurred a grassroots "private property rights" movement. Many people became concerned that these acts, as well as other legislation, would allow the government to "take" or devalue properties without compensation. For example, if federal regulations prohibited construction on a plot of land that was protected by law, then the owner of that land often felt that the government was unfairly limiting the use of his or her property. At the very least, the owner wanted government compensation for decreasing the monetary value of the land.

Finally, there are those who feel that environmental regulation by the government, while not necessarily bad, has gone too far. Many people believe that the federal government has overstepped its authority and should allow state and local governments to make their own rules on environmental issues. Similarly, some people feel that existing regulations are too strict and should be relaxed in order to generate economic growth.