Given the current uncertainty in Washington about the future of environmental programs, this is an opportune time to take a critical look at the past and future of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which marks its 25th anniversary next month. I have always been an admirer of the people who work at EPA but not necessarily of the organization. EPA, in my view, is less than the sum of its parts. It mixes politics too much with the generation and application of science. It has not developed a personnel infrastructure that rewards excellence and penalizes laggards. It has not been able to break the stranglehold of the bureaucracy imposed in part by Congress and in part by itself. And it seems to lack a clear vision of its mission.
展开▼
