Considerations such as these should lead us to conclude that business has wider environmental responsibilities than those required under a narrow free market approach. A common alternative argues that some goods are so important that they should be exempt from the preference optimizing trade-offs that occur within markets. We've seen this approach before, for example, in our discussions of employee rights and consumer safety. This alternative would support limits, typically in the form of government regulation, on business's economic goals. Such laws as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act function in this way by establishing minimal standards for protecting air,water,and species. Once these minimum standards are met, business is then free to pursue its economic goals within the market.