[ourmandave]

Laws and regulations are part of the free market system.

I thought we've known since well before the 1952 Cuyahoga River fire that sparked the formation of the EPA.

Although TBF, there's never been a lot of demand for literal burning rivers.

[CogitoCogito]

I'm pretty sure we've actually known this since time immemorial. Property, contract, etc. are all legal constructs. Talking about free markets (or whatever approximation to "free" is meant by that) without laws and regulations doesn't make any sense.