Our countrys issues get very controversial when Nationalists and States rights advocates

argue. The issues of the environmental protection of our country is no exception. Although both
sides have good arguments for most topics, on the topic of environmental protection, the federal
government is better suited than the state governments to handle the issue.
The States rights position is the view that the main power should come from the state
governments and not the federal government. When it comes to environmental protection, state
governments will be inadequate to handle issues. State governments excel when it comes to
issues of a single state. A good example would be the different amount of minimum wage
throughout every state. It is different for every state and there is no real problem. For example, if
minimum wage in California was $9.25 and $8.25 in Colorado, Colorado citizens wont be
affected by the increased minimum wage of California. Colorado citizens will buy their stuff at a
cheaper price than California citizens. In environmental protection, there is a impact if states
have different policies. For example, when California have relaxed standards on factories, those
factories will eject sulfur and nitrogen into the air. Those substances will cause acid rain in not
only California, but also potentially in Colorado. Why does Colorado have to suffer for
Californias relaxed standards? When it comes to the States rights position, Colorado can do
nothing about Californias air pollution. This is where the nationalist position shines.
The nationalist position is the view that a strong federal government is the best at solving
our countrys problems. In this example, the only fair way for regulating environmental
protection is through a nationalist position. Look at state governments as kids and the federal
government as the parent. The kids may not all behave if the parent doesnt lay down the law. In
this case, for colorado to not be polluted, the federal government will make a law that applies to

all states. This way, every state will be environmentally protected by the same standards. This
applies to all kinds of environmental protection as well.
Having just one state be environmentally protected does not mean that the entire United
States is the same. We are one country and our standards for protecting the environment needs to
be the same. Environmental protection is also something that people are trying to achieve at a
global level. We, who call ourselves one of the leaders of the world, cannot fail when it comes to
environmental protection. The only way to succeed is if the federal government handles the
policy rather than the state governments.