I think the feedback loop is industry, who will continue to come up with new processes, materials, chemicals etc, which will improve our lives in some way, at s

I think the feedback loop is industry, who will continue to come up with new processes, materials, chemicals etc, which will improve our lives in some way, at some cost to the environment. The EPA can't stand still, it needs to keep pace with the industries it oversees. You're right of course that industry isn't all bad; we just need the right balance. As long as the EPA's budget isn't expanding out of control, they're probably not simply empire-building.