Introduction

Environmental-protection techniques that have been developed in the United States may be useful to other countries. Specific tools such as compliance schedules can help countries bring actual environmental practice in line with ambitious discharge requirements. They can also help domestic phase-in of obligations under accession agreements with entities such as the European Union (EU) that often have more rigorous requirements than new members are able to achieve in the short run. However, the success of these mechanisms is often linked to the availability of other types of institutions available in the United States, including traditions of law, public participation, and transparency.

Because the same combination of elements that form the backbone of environmental protection in the United States is not always found in other countries, effective transfers of tools with a track record of success in the United States require special efforts on the part of both countries engaged in the transfer, as well as in-depth understanding of each other's traditions of law and other domestic conditions. The process of adapting U.S.-developed toolsof environmental protection for use in countries with markedly different legal and cultural traditions provides interesting lessons, not only about their transferability, but more generally about the strengths and weaknesses of environmental-assistance efforts.