Mediating environmental enforcement disputes: How well does it work?

Much has been written about benefits of using mediation to resolve environmental disputes, however little empirical research exists to substantiate these claims. Using 19 mediated environmental enforcement cases involving Floridaʹs primary environmental regulatory agency, we examine settlement rates, settlement quality, and participant satisfaction with the mediation process and the mediator. The results show that mediation is an effective method for settling environmental enforcement disputes — more than 70% of the cases were resolved; participants indicated that they were very satisfied with the mediation process, the final agreement, and the mediator; and that they saved money by using mediation rather than litigation to resolve their disputes.