While most studies of environmental policy paint a picture of improvement through a government initiatives, these essays argue the contrary. Pointing to Cleveland’s burning river, the death of Lake Erie, smog in Los Angeles, and Love Canal, the contributors demonstrate that command-and control regulation of the environment has not delivered the great improvements in environmental quality as promised. This book offers principles for a new approach to protecting the environment and looks to evidence of the successes of alternative legal systems to address significant problems.