美国环境执法和解制度探究

Research on the Reconciliation System of Environmental Law Enforcement in the United States

《超级基金法》(Superfund Act)是美国第一部明确授予行政机关执法和解权的联邦法律,执法和解制度能够促使潜在责任方积极、自愿达成协议,高效完成环境清理工作。行政和解协议主要有两类:以行政为主导的合意行政裁决(Administrative Order on Consent)与行政协议,以及需提交法院审查后才可达成的同意令(Consent Decree)。当前中国正面临严峻的环境污染问题,传统的高权行政行为往往在个案中陷入执法困境,环境保护作为美国执法和解制度适用最广的领域,取得了卓越的成效,特别是限制行政和解范围、建立司法审查程序以及完善公众参与制度等经验可资中国参考借鉴。

The Superfund Act is the first federal law in the United States that explicitly grants administrative bodies the right of law enforcement reconciliation. The law enforcement reconciliation system enables potential responsible parties to actively and voluntarily reach an agreement to effectively clean up the environment. There are two main types of administrative reconciliation agreements: an administrativeled Administrative Order on Consent and an administrative agreement,and a Consent Decree that can be reached after review by the court. At present,China is facing serious environmental pollution problems.Traditional high-power administrative actions often fall into law enforcement dilemma in the case. Environmental protection is the most applicable field of law enforcement reconciliation system in the United States and it has obtained remarkable achievements,especially in limiting the scope of administrative reconciliation,establishing judicial review procedures and improving public participation systems,which can be used for reference in China.