Strategic Planning in Environmental Regulation ― A Policy Approach That Works

Strategic Planning in Environmental Regulation introduces an approach toenvironmental regulatory planning founded on a creative, interactive relationship between businessand government. The authors argue that regulation -- often too narrowly defined as direct,command-and-control standard setting and enforcement -- should include the full range of activitiesintended to influence private behavior to conform to public goals. The concept of strategicregulatory planning that the book introduces provides a model for designing more effectiveenvironmental regulation. Strategic planning requires careful consideration of the regulatoryobjectives, the target audiences for regulation, and the characteristics of the regulatoryagency.The two important case studies in the book -- one on the use of the gasoline additive MTBEand the other on the cleanup of underground storage tanks (USTs) -- apply the model, compare theapproaches and results, and illustrate the advantages of a strategic approach.The case of MTBE -- inwhich an additive intended to produce cleaner-burning gasoline was found to contribute to both airand groundwater pollution -- shows the drawbacks of top-down regulation by fragmented regulatoryagencies. The success of the UST cleanup, in contrast, highlights a unique, strategic, andresults-oriented approach to policy implementation. These two cases demonstrate why regulation worksbetter in some cases than others, and the alternative approaches to regulation described in the bookpromise to promote the achievement of environmental quality goals.

Steven Cohen is Director of the Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs and Director of the Office of Educational Programs at the Earth Institute at Columbia University.