States have had over 200 years to protect our air, water, and wildlife. Most states did little or nothing. The sugar cane farmers in the Everglades disamated the largest Ecosystem in the world and the state is living with the results. I can remember a beautiful river in the 50's being destroyed by a fertilizer plant upstream. My uncle lived and worked in Pittsburgh during 30's and 40's breathing what passed for air. He died 5 years ago from emphysema. No the states did very little environmental protection.Which is exactly why we shouldn't do it. In your scenario, Kansas could decide to fuck the environment and pollute all they want. Those pollutants could land in Nebraska instead of Kansas and then what? States sue each other? How do you enforce Kansas not polluting on Nebraska? Or do you think that would be fine?
There needs to be a national policy and a national enforcement of it.
Well we finally have found a use for the supreme court. If two states are in dispute then let them litigate there.
Litigate and wait how long for a resolution, when in the mean time people are getting sick? That's not going to help. You need a proactive agency that sets standards BEFORE there are problems. Libertarians keep saying what a paradise this country would be with them in charge, but all I see is that they'd allow the country to become a garbage dump for everyone except those that can afford to isolate themselves. NO WAY!!! Libertarians are as dangerous to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the Marxists. They both don't get that in order for their system to work there has to be a basic shift in human nature. I'm certainly not holding my breath on that promise, especially since they can't show one place in the world where their philosophy has actually worked.