<P>When we think about environmental policy and regulation in the U.S., our attention invariably falls on the federal level and, more specifically, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.&nbsp; Although such a focus is understandable, it neglects the actors most responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the nation's environmental laws - the states.&nbsp; Recognition of the importance of the states still ignores an even smaller subsection of actors, inspectors.&nbsp; These front-line actors in state environmental agencies are the individuals responsible for writing environmental rules and ensuring compliance with those rules.&nbsp; They play an important role in the environmental regulatory state.</P>
<P>With data collected from more than 1,200 inspectors across&nbsp;17 states, Michelle C. Pautz and Sara R. Rinfret take a closer look at these neglected actors to better understand how environmental regulators perceive the regulated community and how they characterize their interactions with them.&nbsp; In doing so, they explore the role these front-line actors play, what it is like to be them, what they think of their place in the environmental regulatory system, and how they interact with the regulated community.</P>
<P>An original, timely and unmatched volume advancing the debate on the future of environmental regulation in the U.S.</P>