Report on the Regional State Capacity Building Initiatives

摘要

In recent years EPA's commitment to enhance state capacity has become critical toEPA's goal of strengthening environmental management in the United States. Both national and state budget pressure has increased the need for effective state and local management of environmental programs. To address this need the State Capacity Task Force was formed and released a draft of its recommendations in April of this year. The Task Force focused its efforts on four areas: Improving State/EPA relations; Encouraging alternative financing mechanisms; Investing in state management infrastructure; and Streamlining the grants assistance process.