ECOS’ Cooperative Federalism 2.0 paper is a vision recasting state and federal roles for environmental management and public health protection at lower cost. The paper details the organization’s collective thoughts, observations and recommendations on what cooperative federalism means to the states and describes the essential roles and functions that ECOS believes the states and EPA should each perform. Among other positive changes, this recasting will result in:
- Equal or greater environmental and public health protection and outcomes through smart deployment of resources on critical priorities;
- Reduced operating costs due to a more efficient division of services, streamlined operating relationships, best practice sharing, and elimination of redundancies across states and divisions of EPA;
- More effective allocation of limited resources by determining the best roles and functions states and EPA are each best suited to perform; and,
- With time, fewer disputes over who should take credit for successes and achievements, and who is responsible for decisions and actions that result in setbacks.
ECOS Memo on Cooperative Federalism 2.0 Advances and Path Ahead: This May 2018 memo from ECOS President Todd Parfitt (Wyoming) and Past President John Linc Stine (Minnesota) outlines progress in the association’s year-old Cooperative Federalism 2.0 initiative, as well as goals for the coming months. The memo reports on progress in the areas of federal oversight of state-delegated programs, enforcement and compliance assurance, permitting, Superfund, research, and executive leadership.
ECOS Webinar on Cooperative Federalism 2.0: This September 26 webinar highlighted ECOS’ Cooperative Federalism 2.0 paper and offered a deeper look into the rebooted EPA-State relationship.
ECOS Press Statement on Cooperative Federalism 2.0: This Press Statement announces the release of ECOS’ Cooperative Federalism 2.0 paper.
ECOS’ State Environmental Protection (STEP) meeting on July 17 will provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to engage in the Cooperative Federalism 2.0 dialogue.
Congressional Letters re: ECOS Cooperative Federalism 2.0 Papers: Following the release of its Cooperative Federalism 2.0 paper, ECOS sent these letters and the paper to Congress for consideration as they deliberate the U.S. EPA’s authorizations and appropriations.
Letter to the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations
