Only continued state and federal cooperation solves climate change
Carley Weted 21 [Weted is a doctoral student in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at American University, 5/7/21, “Does Environmental Policy “Need” the Federal Government?,” https://medium.com/3streams/does-environmental-policy-need-the-federal-government-21abcd8fe970] //mh
The best option, it seems, is to maintain existing allocations of authority and attempt incremental reform. The federal-state partnership is not as cooperative as it used to be. It’s actually sometimes disruptive — but finding a more even-keeled balance is critical for the future of environmental protection. The success of our system depends on a working relationship between the federal government and state environmental agencies.
When not functioning, a problem arises for the quality of environmental policy and big, looming issues like climate change and water pollution. What there is a need for within environmental policy is partnerships. Yes, the federal government is important — and so are states. There has to be some collaboration. That’s how our government was designed to function and how it works best, if it’s done right. There needs to be some flexibility, some innovation and a lot of power-sharing.
Environmental policy relies on state and federal input, but current trends challenge cooperative federalism. Moving forward, authority must be allocated intelligently, with an eye toward preserving partnerships between the states and Washington, DC.