Environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) gradually have shifted their focus from affecting policy change to directly engaging in markets. In this role, they can be integrators, like World Wildlife Fund and Environmental Defense Fund, which seek change through constructive corporate partnerships, or polarizers, like Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network, which disrupt the status quo through confrontation.

This week's commentary discusses enforcement under the Clean Water Act. Increasing the likelihood that noncompliant firms will be detected, along with imposing higher penalties for violations, offers the potential to significantly improve water quality at relatively low cost.