Letters

From the August/September 1996 issue

The Scarlett Letter

Lynn Scarlett's article ("Evolutionary Ecology," May 1996) is a tour de force that should receive wide circulation. She is unquestionably one of the top environmental writers today.

Three issues touched upon by Ms. Scarlett may be worthy of further exploration. First, I would suggest that the significance of recognizing state authority may be far greater than indicated--it may well be the indispensable key to both continued environmental improvement and legal reform.

Second, it is important to note that environmental standards are generally not uniform; states have carefully protected their authority to set standards stricter than national minimums. Nonetheless U.S. EPA has often sought to impose uniform implementation processes, leading to the dysfunctional results outlined by Ms. Scarlett. Finally one hopes that Ms. Scarlett will begin to outline a language of leadership to communicate and implement her "environmental institutions." The existing public dialogue on these issues is outdated and may well be inadequate for what is now required.

James M. Strock
Secretary for Environmental Protection
Cal/EPA
Sacramento, CA