In this paper, we evaluate the influence of two environmental policy levers on emissions in the metal-finishing industry: a voluntary program--the Strategic Goals Program (SGP)--and the threat of formal regulation. While voluntary approaches are increasingly utilized as policy tools, the...

The use of voluntary approaches to achieve environmental improvements has grown dramatically in the United States since they were first introduced thirteen years ago. As of 2004, there are over 50 voluntary programs in the U.S. at the federal level alone. These programs take a variety of forms,...

Voluntary approaches have become a popular in the U.S. to enhance the efficacy and scope of existing regulations and to reduce emissions in sectors or for pollutants where formal environmental regulation is lacking. In this paper, we examine the effectiveness of a particular EPA voluntary...