Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and the related techniques of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) are relatively new to environmental analysis. CE is better known in the biomedical and pharmaceutical fields where it is employed for protein and drug separations, respectively. CE possesses many powerful capabilities, however, that make it attractive for environmental analysis: both laboratory-based and field-screening applications. The purpose of this paper is to introduce CE to scientists involved in field-screening and illustrate some conceptual schemes where this technology may play a role.