It is not always easy for governments to regulate the organizations which they themselves have established. This article explores the extent to which and the conditions under which governments can control the behavior of public corporations as regards environmental protection. The analysis utilizes a comparative framework, assessing governmental self regulation in the case of Canadian and U.S. public corporations including the Tennessee Valley Authority, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Ontario Hydro, and the Ontario Waste Management Corporation. It concludes that public corporations are not necessarily more difficult to regulate as regards environmental concerns and explores some possible techniques for effective environmental self-regulation of public corporations.
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