How to improve the federal/state "partnership" in the environmental area is a difficult subject. Despite my best attempts to devise simple solutions with resolving power, the situation is not amenable to easy fixes.

A consensus is developing that the concept of a "partnership" in the federal/state relationship on the environment is probably misleading, and in fact, this way of thinking about the relationship may even contribute to the problem. The relationship is not one among equal "partners." Rather, Congress has clearly established different roles for EPA and the states. Until we have a more realistic view of the relationship, we will not begin to improve its nature. So let us think of it not as a partnership, but rather as a working joint venture relationship. Some have suggested that we should think of the relationship in terms of client/contractor or principal/agent.