When convincing scientific support is lacking, government should refrain from sweeping policies. Congress should bind environmental regulatory agencies more closely to its will in the way it writes laws. Recycling and waste reduction are vital environmental protection techniques. The cost of cleaning up pollution or blight for which no one is clearly responsible should be equitably spread among all taxpayers. The cost of current waste disposal should be borne by those who produce the waste.
Urban sprawl can lead to high public costs and environmental degradation.
Cities should create incentives and a regulatory climate that encourage reinvestment in the urban core. The trend away from large public housing projects should continue, replaced by vouchers and scattered-site housing. Housing policies should seek to convert tenants into owners. Many inner-city schools are in crisis and require special attention by the states. We encourage experimentation and local development of cost-effective projects.