Changes Needed for the 1990s Continued – Page 55 Although the Commission could make regulations more stringent than minimal federal standards, they cannot relax the federal baseline requirements. Finally, the Commission is composed of professional state agency persons who regularly use and interpret regulations. Being acquainted with regulations gives the Commission a sense of rationality as to what can and cannot be realistically required. This is a conservative approach and can overemphasize bureaucratic inertia, but it does have merit.

A second criticism is that the agency representatives of agriculture and minerals have a large amount of leverage to modify regulations which affect their industries, and this criticism has been levied particularly at the agricultural representative and a previous minerals representative. What Changes Are Needed For The 1990's The membership of the Commission should be adjusted. Three persons representing interests of environmental protection organizations should be legislatively required to be members of the Environmental Commission, to balance representatives of mining, agriculture and construction.

Having articulate, well prepared representatives for environmental protection at the Commission table will provide a clear voice for the environment, and help to direct the discussion and affect changes in regulations which would not be possible by a members of the audience attending the Commission hearing. Those environmental representatives should also be selected by the Governor, and would provide responsible articulation of environmental protection positions. The public overwhelmingly supports protection of the environment, and that support should be represented on the Commission. Next Page