The following article is not a contribution to the discussion about the academic value of the so called “new administrative law science” (“Neue Verwaltungsrechtswissenschaft”) even though it contains reflections on the function of environmental law to illustrate the cognitive dimension of an administrative law that is understood as a “steering approach” (“Steuerungswissenschaft”). In this regard, according to the author enough words have been written. Therefore, the author wants to demonstrate the importance of a steering approach to a concrete field of law and its regulation problems – in this case environmental protection through environmental law.