I had this very discussion just a few days ago. Agencies like the EPA cannot satisfy their objectives by advising alone. Administration and case-handling is the bread and butter of executing any strategy, and laws alone won’t cut it.
It is inevitable to have some sort of policy-making involved, even for an agency, because the very strategy they choose to reach a certain goal (set by politicians) or enforce a law (set by politicians) may itself be a choice between political alternatives.
It is inevitable to have some sort of policy-making involved, even for an agency, because the very strategy they choose to reach a certain goal (set by politicians) or enforce a law (set by politicians) may itself be a choice between political alternatives.