state and municipal effect: enforcing the Clean Water Act in Massachusetts/California - Boston/San Diego.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20235302

This research analyzes federal and state enforcement of the Clean Water Act. Even though President George W. Bush is preoccupied in foreign affairs, recent history supports the notion of state-centered federalism. The Republican congress (1995-2006) placed federalism issues high on its agenda and President Clinton signed welfare reform legislation calling for the states to play a greater role. And today states are at the forefront of important domestic policy issues like immigration reform and global warming. States are leaders and innovators in the policy process. While the reviews of this "devolution revolution" are mixed (Cho and Wright 2004; Cole et al. 1999; Hoornbeck 2005; Soss et al. 2001) it is clear that state influence is on the rise. Some states lead, innovate, and implement more than others. Inevitably this results in variation that raises questions of equity.