Environmental enforcement officials in the United States stand on the frontiers of law and science. As the federal agency that stands guard over the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must draw the line of enforcement at the boundaries of current knowledge about the ecosystem and use its enforcement authority to encourage compliance and bring violators to book.

EPA has a vision of environmental enforcement in the future at the federal, state, and local levels. This vision includes credibly threatening law breakers with the certainty of punishment, while maintaining the integrity of the process through impartial treatment of members of the regulated community. This Dialogue discusses EPA's strategic vision for environmental enforcement for the next four years.