自從八○年代中期以降的反污染抗爭，台灣政府迅速地制訂了一系列管制措施，以因應各種環境危機與社會不滿。然而，在各種制度設計中，社區的參與向來是明顯地的不足。由於官方與業者的不信任，工業區鄰近居民被充份告知的權利往往被限制。在平時，居民無法了解他們所日常面的各種污染威脅與風險；一旦污染事件產生之後，他們只能用體制外的抗爭，來尋求救濟與賠償。在2008 年12 月爆發的大寮空污事件中，既有環境監督制度顯然無法因應這一類的危機。無論是地方環境稽查員、公害陳情專線，亦或是中央政府所特別設置的臨時監測系統，都無法明確指認出污染排放的廠商，使得居民權益一再受損。特別值得注意是，在大寮抗爭之後，原先民間自發組織的社區巡守隊開始獲得政府的承認、訓練與補助，他們能夠直接進入廠區採樣污染事證。本文將以田野研究的方式，來理解大寮環境巡守隊的實際運用狀況，並且評估其民主務實主義作為一種環境治理典範之可能性。

In response to the rise of anti-pollution protests, Taiwan’s government instituted a series of regulation measures to manage the environmental crisis and social discontents. However, community participation has been persistently underdeveloped. Due to the distrust on the part of officials and business, the communities adjacent to industrial zones are dispossessed of the right of being fully informed. Residents are not allowed to understand the risk and pollution they face everyday; as a result, when pollution erupts, they can only result to protest to demand compensation. In the Taliao Incident of December 2008, existing environmental regulations fail completely. Local environmental inspectors, pollution complaint hotline, and the temporary monitoring system installed by the central government are unable to identify the pollution sources and protect the safety of threatened residents. This paper takes a critical look at the evolution of community vigilante committee. The committee is originally devoted to crime-prevention, but after the Incident, it obtains government recognition, training and subsidy for the purpose of pollution prevention. Now the committee is allowed to sample pollution evidence in the factory compound. This paper researches the current situation of this emergent form of community participation and evaluates its potential for the future of democratic pragmatism as a new paradigm of environmental governance.