Strict environmental laws coexisted with a thriving US economy

Evidence

Nor have the prophesies come true of those doomsayers who contended that strict environmental laws would lead to the collapse of the U.S. economy or that the laws were too late and too weak to avoid immediate environmental catastrophes. Not only has the U.S. economy generally thrived during the past several decades, but it has done so while making remarkable strides in many areas of environmental protection. The nation avoided many of the environmental disasters that such a rapidly increasing economy might well have otherwise caused, and did cause in other industrialized countries. The nation enjoyed decreased pollution and increased resource conservation in many significant respects, notwithstanding significant gaps in the coverage of existing laws. — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 1100

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Air pollutant emissions fell 25 percent while the economy grew 160 percent since 1970 — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 29; Ecotourism and recreation businesses formed new economic allies for environmental law. — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 724; Americans strongly want environmental laws but resist paying near-term costs for them — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 1089 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• A national market economy inherently generates demand for national-level regulation #corroborates (0.80) — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 4193