Controversies in Environmental Policy presents comprehensive analyses of the politics surrounding decision-making on such environmental issues as land use, toxic waste management, new federalism, and economic incentive. It recognizes that environmental policy-making is a blend of politics, technology, and economics, and provides a sophisticated understanding of the interrelationship of the three.

The contributors to this volume examine the underlying value systems of the proponents of government-dominated solutions and private-enterprise-dominated solutions to the questions of environmental policy. This book is unique in that it exposes the biases inherent in both sides of the debate, analyzing the differing views on the effectiveness of such policy evaluation strategies as cost benefit analysis and regulatory agency control. It provides conservative and liberal opinions on the social and economic impact of the Reagan administration's effort to shape environmental policy.

Controversies in Environmental Policy recognizes the fundamental differences in values, strategies, and desired outcomes among those involved in the debates on environmental policy. Disguised by a fragile consensus throughout the 1970s, these divisions emerged with the election of the Reagan administration. The basic divisions are not new and are consistent with the differences in other policy areas.