Environmental laws and regulations are extremely complex and difficult to understand. In order to comply with them, they need to be explained in layperson's terms. There have been many significant changes since the second edition was published. The third edition will identify those changes and will recommend ways to apply and implement them. It will contain the latest and most up-todate environmental information. New areas which have become more highly regulated and are of current importance include acid rain, climate change, coastal zone management, lead paint, mold, oil and gas extraction, power plant emissions, storm water management and "rain taxes," and toxic release inventories.

In 1970, Robert D. Edell, Jr., was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army and entered active duty as the Viet Nam combat began to wind down. This initial active duty stint was the beginning of 28 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserve. Upon completion of his military entry-level officer training, Edell relocated to the Boston, MA, area, where he began to teach high school science and math. His interest in environmental issues was piqued during a National Science Foundation grant to study nuclear engineering at Penn State. The resident program took place while the Three Mile Island incident was unraveling and the instructors would bring in videotapes that had been filmed by robots entering the nuclear power plant. Edell continued teaching in upstate New York, where he was elected president of the local teachers' association, steering the collective bargaining efforts with the Board of Education, and served on the New York State Science Teachers Association. He wrote and supervised the evaluation of statewide science final exam questions on behalf of the New York State Board of Regents. During that time, he also completed his Master's degree. A career change brought him to the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., area where he became an environmental program manager for the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. Edell currently holds the position of president and chief executive officer of a highly successful environmental consulting company, BREGMAN & COMPANY, Inc., recently selected by Inc. magazine as one of its 500 fastest growing private companies He also serves as a member of the company's board of directors Edell and his wife Melanie