ABSTRACT
This epilogue asserts how elected officials use four elements or derivatives of federalism to sustain their positions. One, dynamic federalism allows them to target their specific power base and disavow the assertions and policies of others. A president can appeal to his/her audience and a governor to his/her constituents under dynamic federalism. Second, the federal government has the resources and power to claim that it has the best science. However, it need not follow scientifically grounded recommendations. Several states, however, have challenged federal science using their own expertise and resources. Third, elected officials may make a decision about environmental health asserting that their decision was based on their need to balance alternative priorities. Fourth, the federal government sometimes takes a position different from the vast majority of nations and weaves that stance into its political message to supporters rather than seeking a compromise with other countries. Further complicating the creation of sustainable federalist-based policy in the United States is the high-level lack of public distrust of elected officials, the loss of institutional memory as committed STEM scientists retire or change jobs, and security concerns about releasing information, which deters objective evaluation of policy options.
