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H.C.R. 3 Enrolled

                 

RESOLUTION ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF

                 
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS

                 
1999 GENERAL SESSION

                 
STATE OF UTAH

                 
Sponsor: Bill Wright

                  A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
                  REQUESTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY TO REFRAIN FROM
                  OVERFILING ON STATE-NEGOTIATED COMPLIANCE ACTIONS AND TO DEFER TO
                  STATE AND LOCAL PRIORITIES IN TAKING COMPLIANCE ACTION; AND
                  REQUESTING CONGRESS TO INVESTIGATE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES OF THE
                  ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND REQUIRE THE AGENCY TO DEFER
                  TO STATE ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE ACTIONS WHERE ACTIONS ACHIEVE
                  COMPLIANCE AND ARE PROTECTIVE OF HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT.
                  Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
                      WHEREAS, protection of public health and the environment are among the highest
                  priorities of state governments;
                      WHEREAS, Congress has provided by statute for the delegation of certain federal program
                  responsibilities to the states;
                      WHEREAS, to obtain delegation of federal environmental programs, a state must
                  demonstrate that it has adopted laws, regulations, and policies as stringent as federal laws,
                  regulations, and policies;
                      WHEREAS, over the past 25 years, the states have developed and demonstrated expertise
                  in operation of federal environmental programs enabling states to obtain and maintain the
                  delegations;
                      WHEREAS, the states of Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South
                  Dakota constitute an area designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as Region
                  VIII;
                      WHEREAS, the states in Region VIII make compliance with environmental laws, rules,
                  and permits the highest priority;


                      WHEREAS, the state of Utah has full delegation in all federal environmental programs;
                      WHEREAS, the EPA and the states have bilaterally developed over the past 25 years policy
                  agreements which reflect roles and which recognize that the primary responsibility for enforcement
                  and compliance resides with the states, with the EPA taking enforcement action principally when
                  the state requests assistance or is unwilling or unable to take timely and appropriate enforcement
                  action;
                      WHEREAS, inconsistent with these policy agreements, the EPA has conducted direct federal
                  inspections within programs delegated to states, has taken direct enforcement actions, has levied
                  fines and penalties against regulated entities in cases where the state previously took appropriate
                  action consistent with the agreements to bring the entities into compliance, and has failed to notify
                  the states in advance of their action;
                      WHEREAS, the EPA has begun to use its enforcement authority in cases where the state had
                  worked with the regulated entity to achieve compliance, and the overfiling by the EPA accomplished
                  no further protection of the public health or environment but only imposed an additional penalty on
                  the regulated entity;
                      WHEREAS, the EPA's current enforcement practices and policies and the resultant detailed
                  oversight and overfiling of state actions substantially weaken the state's ability to take compliance
                  actions and resolve environmental issues;
                      WHEREAS, the EPA's enforcement practices and policies have had an adverse impact on
                  working relationships between the EPA and states;
                      WHEREAS, the EPA's reliance on the threat of enforcement action to force compliance may
                  not result in environmental protection, but rather may result in delay and litigation, cripple incentives
                  for technological innovation, and provoke animosity between government, industry, and the public;
                  and
                      WHEREAS, the Western Governor's Association has adopted "Principles for Environmental
                  Protection in the West," which encourages collaboration not polarization, advocates the replacement
                  of command and control with economic incentives and rewarding results, and encourages the
                  weighing of costs against benefits in environmental decisions:

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                      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
                  Governor concurring therein, requests the EPA to refrain from overfiling or threatening to overfile
                  on state-negotiated compliance actions if the actions achieve compliance with applicable state and
                  federal law and are protective of health and the environment.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor request that the EPA,
                  in taking enforcement and compliance actions, recognize and defer to individual state and local
                  priorities that are important for the protection of the environment.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the EPA should work with and assist states in evaluating
                  the overall effectiveness of state compliance programs and not focus on the detail of individual
                  actions.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor request the Congress
                  of the United States to investigate EPA enforcement activities and require the EPA to defer to state
                  enforcement and compliance actions in delegated states where the actions achieve compliance and
                  are protective of health and the environment.
                      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the
                  United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
                  Representatives, each member of the Utah congressional delegation, the Administrator of the U.S.
                  Environmental Protection Agency, the Assistant Administrator of the U.S. EPA Office of
                  Enforcement and Compliance, the Regional Administrator of the U.S. EPA Region VIII, the                   National
                  Governor's Association, the National Council of State Legislators, the Council of State                   Governments,
                  the Western Governor's Association, and the Environmental Council of the States.

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