The AMOCO/EPA Yorktown experience and regulating the right thing

Today`s environmental regulatory system can be credited with the cleanup of many of the nation`s environmental problems. Over the past twenty years, water and air have become noticeably cleaner and it is easier to breathe, but many environmental problems still persist. Many problems faced today are much more complex than those faced when the environmental movement was born two decades ago in the United States. With pride in accomplishments, we now look to the future, challenged to answer the following questions: {open_quotes}How can we improve our performance?{close_quotes} Armed with finite resources for environmental improvements, we also ask, {open_quotes}Are we regulating the right thing?{close_quotes} From the viewpoints of both government and industry there had to be a better approach to achieving a cleaner environment. In late 1989 Amoco and EPA began talking about the possibility of cooperating in a pollution prevention project and the project eventually went ahead as the Yorktown Experience. This paper focuses on the Yorktown project, the outcome, and the lessons learned.