Mention regulatory science and the response is always interesting. Many think the term is an oxymoron or a myth, similar to giant shrimp or Sasquatch. Yet robust science applicable to environmental regulations and their enforcement does exist even if not explicit in laws, statutes, or regulations.
Most regulatory enforcement actions and almost all challenges by NGOs opposing an operation are based on environmental data, not the language in laws, statutes, or regulations. This is particularly true with environmental chemistry, fish, and wildlife. Avoiding and effectively resolving these environmental concerns is done by providing legislators, regulators, and finders of fact in lawsuits with technically sound and legally defensible analyses of all available relevant data with interpretations based on established ecological theory.