Washington, DC--Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Fred Thompson (R-TN), chief sponsor with Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) of the Regulatory Improvement Act of 1998 (S.981), expressed his appreciation to the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) for their recent policy statement on Congressional regulatory reform efforts.

"I am very pleased," Thompson said, "that ECOS, the organization of state environmental agency directors, has endorsed key principles which are embodied in our legislation. Our measure will promote more effective, more transparent and more accountable regulatory decisions. It will require federal agencies to use modern decisionmaking tools and better information, including analyses to assess the benefits and costs of important rules. It also will require federal agencies to work in partnership with state and local officials to ensure that Washington does a better job of listening--and responding--to state and local needs."

At their Spring Meeting, ECOS approved a resolution supporting federal regulatory reform that addresses "unfunded mandates on state and local governments, provides for flexible implementation of regulations and ensures appropriate consideration of state suggested regulatory alternatives in the regulatory process." The commissioners also affirmed their support of actions taken earlier this year by the National Governors' Association in support of Congressional regulatory reform legislation. The National Governors' Association has testified in support of the Thompson-Levin measure.

The ECOS resolution affirmed that "regulatory reform efforts should address issues pertaining to unfunded mandates on state and local governments, provide for flexible implementation of regulations, and ensure appropriate consideration of state suggested regulatory alternatives in the regulatory process."

###

Return to the Press Release Directory

[Committee Members] [Subcommittees][Special Investigation]
[Jurisdiction] [Hearings] [Press Releases] [Sites of Interest]