本文从三个角度讨论了公私伙伴关系:环境项目融资问题的严重性；公共和私营部门合作的潜在影响；以及美国环境保护署鼓励利用公私伙伴关系和其他非传统机制支持环境服务的方式。尽管在这十年里，遵守现行环境指导方针的成本预计将上升50%，并且预计将制定更多的环境保护立法，但与此同时，传统的融资机制正在受到限制。利用私营公司为公共实体提供一些服务- -顾问、银行家、建筑公司等提供的服务带来了更好的服务，市场力量降低了价格，并获得了新兴技术。美国环境保护局在这一领域的重点有三个方面:提高对融资问题的认识，开发和测试非传统融资技术，以及传播有关这些融资技术的信息。

This paper discusses public-private partnerships from three perspectives: the magnitude of the problem of financing environmental projects; the potential impact of cooperative efforts between public and private sectors; and ways in which the US Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging the use of public-private partnerships and other nontraditional mechanisms to support environmental services. Even as costs of complying with current environmental guidelines are expected to rise 50 percent during this decade and legislation for additional environmental protection is expected, at the same time traditional financing mechanisms are being restricted. The use of private companies to provide some services for public entities--services provided by consultants, bankers, construction firms, and so forth-- results in better service, market forces lowering prices, and access to emerging technologies. The USEPA's focus in this area is three-fold: to raise awareness of financing problems, to develop and test nontraditional financing techniques, and to disseminate information about these financing techniques.