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Career Summary
Q: How would you sum up your career in the environmental field?
MR. ALM: I do not think it is over, yet. (laughter) It has been an exciting period. I started in the pre-Earth Day period - in 1966. In those days, there was hardly any enforcement. Fines were really small, and the few programs in existence were at the state level. I have seen the major legislation, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the rest, which have made a substantial difference in the environment. I have seen intractable problems become no less intractable. I have seen the complexity of the environmental field increase dramatically. The newest Clean Air Act is over 800 pages. The environmental regulatory system is becoming more and more ossified. It takes a longer period of time to enforce regulations. There are more regulations and there is more bureaucracy.
Finally, in recent years, I have seen the change to an entirely new set of paradigms: sustainable development; pollution prevention; use of nontraditional forms of environmental control, like market incentives and information; and integration of environmental concerns into policies across government agencies. We are seeing the change away from command and control, toward more flexible systems, and ultimately toward a decentralized system. It is hard to foresee this transition, but I think it is going to occur, and I would like to continue to be part of it, even if not in the government.
Q: Anything else to add?
MR. ALM: I cannot think of anything. No.
Q: Mr. Alm, I appreciate your time.