History of Command-and-Control Environmental Regulations

Command-and-control environmental regulations have been used for centuries to manage the environment and protect public health. Command-and-control regulations are direct orders, typically imposed by a government or environmental agency, to control and limit the amount of environmental pollution. The development and implementation of command-and-control regulations, began in the early 1800s, when the English Parliament passed laws to regulate the industrial revolution. These laws were the first to create strict standards for emissions, solid waste, and other environmental pollutants. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States passed laws similar to those created by the English Parliament. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, for example, was passed to eliminate potentially dangerous pollutants from food and drugs. Later, the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 and the Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970 imposed bans on certain pollutants and established more stringent requirements for others. The Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970 to oversee the implementation of command-and-control regulations. Since then, the EPA has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), as well as standards for hazardous waste, water quality, and sediment dumping. In addition, the EPA has also mandated the use of advanced technologies, such as scrubbers, to reduce the effects of pollution. In recent years, command-and-control regulations have been used to address issues such as climate change, ozone depletion, and hazardous