Environmental risk harmonization: federal/state approaches to risk assessment and management

As environmental laws and regulations have evolved in recent years, disparities have arisen in the assessment and management of similar risks by different governmental units. Such inconsistencies have had several adverse impacts. One is that resources may not be used most effectively to reduce risks and a second is that public confidence in government may be eroded and thus support for environmental protection. This article presents a summary of a conference and workshop that was held to address the sources of these disharmonies in risk assessment and risk management and to make recommendations as to how to improve the situation. It includes international, national, and state perspectives and utilizes a case study to illustrate the variety of issues associated with harmonizing risk assessment and risk management among governmental units. The workshop summaries demonstrate that, while there are presently many areas of disagreement, there are also significant issues upon which agreement can be reached and which can serve as the basis for further harmonization efforts.