In the 1970s the newly established EPA offered bounties to environmental whistleblowers, who dropped a dime on polluters and helped it make the case against the

In the 1970s the newly established EPA offered bounties to environmental whistleblowers, who dropped a dime on polluters and helped it make the case against them. It was an expedient way of detecting violators and enforcing the law, because it takes both knowledge of facts and expertise in science to do that enforcement. Engaging with whistleblowers helped the new EPA overcome their understaffing and inexperience. For example, fact: "that pipe coming out of that factory puts polychlorinated biphenyls into the Housatonic River at night." science: PCBs concentrate in fish. They mess up the immune systems of mammals, including people, who catch and eat those fish. The proceeds of these bounties early in the life of the Clean Water Act founded some long-lasting watchdog orgs, such as the Hudson Riverkeepers. It is good for the government to create incentives for people with facts and expertise to help them prosecute financial crimes, for the same reasons. Hopefully some of these big bounties will go to establishing long-lived watchdog organizations to keep would-be fraudsters honest.