In the late 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled the bubble policy as a central part of Jimmy Carter's plan to reform environmental regulations that many believed had grown too proscriptive and too costly for American industry. Since the EPA's formation, regulators had dictated method and means for reducing air pollution. The bubble returned the prerogative to business. But despite bipartisan support, the bubble never took off. Drawing on EPA records and interviews, this article shows how skeptical regulators intentionally made the bubble unwieldy, driving away businesses wary of uncertainty. Though Ronald Reagan's election seemed to lift the bubble's fortunes, his undiscerning assault on the administrative state ironically deflated the EPA's development of a viable alternative to the proscriptive model.

中文翻译：

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破灭的梦想：环保署的泡沫政策和监管改革中的不确定性政治

在 1970 年代后期，环境保护署 (EPA) 公布了泡沫政策，作为吉米卡特改革环境法规计划的核心部分，许多人认为该计划对美国工业来说过于禁止且成本过高。自 EPA 成立以来，监管机构就已经规定了减少空气污染的方法和手段。泡沫将特权归还给了商业。但尽管得到了两党的支持，泡沫从未起飞。本文利用 EPA 的记录和访谈，展示了持怀疑态度的监管机构如何故意使泡沫变得笨拙，从而驱散企业对不确定性的警惕。虽然罗纳尔德里根的选举似乎举起了泡沫的财富，但他对行政状况的消除侵略攻击了EPA对缩写模型的可行替代品的发展。