Quote:
Originally Posted by Azred
Agencies like the EPA don't exist to make the air clean; rather, they exist to enforce regulations that say "if your emissions exceed x then you will pay y" and then collect those fees--money is the goal while the clean air is merely incidental.
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Not true. We'll stick with the Clean Air Act, but the same general principles apply to all environmental laws. Yes, there are fines for emissions, but that's not the main point. First, there are rules requiring new plants to meet the best technology standards -- designed to create a "race to the top" over time. When plants continually flaunt the rules, the can be shut down. The Act also has a trading market mechanism for SO2 and NOx that has been extremely effective over time. Finally, as with many such environmental laws, there is even a citizen suit provision -- this allows ordinary citizens to step in and act to enforce the law if the government fails to do so.
Monetary income is one of the least important things in that law. In fact, even when the EPA discusses monetary matters it is not focused on income from fines but rather trying to put valuations on the economic benefit of the harm prevented.