ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of local governments in environmental protection programs in the American states. It presents an analytical model that considers the roles of all three levels of government in efforts to manage problems associated with threats to human health and the environment. The chapter also considers the historical development of governmental efforts to protect the environment in the United States and discusses important federal-level factors that have shaped state choices concerning the use of local governments in environmental policy processes. It examines the role of regional, county, and city governments in state environmental policy processes. The chapter further demonstrates that many regional governments have assumed important policy planning and formulation functions, whereas city and county governments have developed formidable enforcement systems in states that cultivate local environmental policy implementation. It provides reasons why the role of municipal, county, and regional governments in state environmental management will continue to evolve and perhaps be expanded in the future.
