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PRINCIPLES

PERC's free market environmentalism is based on the following tenets {Link without Title} :
  • Private Property rights encourage stewardship of resources.

  • Government Subsidies often degrade the environment.

  • Market Incentives spur individuals to conserve resources and protect environmental quality.

  • Polluter s should be liable for the harm they cause others.



OUTREACH

PERC analysts have published numerous books and articles sharply critical of popular U.S. environmental laws such as the for accelerating Erosion problems by limiting claims of newly settled land to 160-320 acre (0.65 to 1.3 km²) parcels {Link without Title} . According to this article, fragmented land ownership reduced the incentives for implementing erosion countermeasures and made it difficult for farmers to negotiate contracts for voluntary soil conservation.

PERC also addresses the environmental problems of Developing Countries . For instance, a 2005 ''PERC Report'' noted that farmers were growing Chili Pepper s along the boundaries of their fields to prevent Elephant s from damaging their crops, since elephants find spicy foods unpalatable. The chili peppers are cheaper than Electric Fence s and can be sold as a Cash Crop .

Moreover, PERC addresses governance issues such as the ongoing controversy about the roles of Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency in setting environmental policies. PERC advocates greater Congressional involvement in creating environmental laws, since Congress is directly accountable to the voters, and its laws do not require elaborate rationalization to ensure survival of Judicial Review . Since the EPA only promulgates about five major rules annually, PERC believes that Congress has time to take on greater responsibility in environmental legislation.

PERC seeks to influence public policy by publishing guides for Congressional staff and organizing weeklong seminars for promising undergraduates. The organization's monthly publication, PERC Reports, regularly features articles questioning assumptions that form the basis of U.S. federal environmental law.

The organization defies easy categorization, because unlike many other think tanks critical of environmental laws enacted by Democrat s, PERC does not even indirectly support Republican candidates. In October 2004 , shortly before the U.S. Presidential Election , PERC released a report card giving President George W. Bush a "D-" in organic pollutant control and an "F" in air quality regulation {Link without Title} .

Although PERC's free market environmentalist theories are similar to the Cato Institute 's, PERC has not drawn the same amount of ire from liberal environmental groups. The reason is probably that PERC has preferred to focus on education and analysis, rather than criticizing the Worldwatch Institute and similar environmental organizations {Link without Title} .


REFERENCES