We are pledging here to work mutually and efficiently, and to cooperatively resolve issues that ordinarily might divide agencies such as ours. We will enter into conversations presuming agreement rather than disagreement. We will continue developing and strengthening the ADEQ-EPA partnership. The EPA Region 6 Office, headquartered in Dallas, has signed similar agreements with Texas and Louisiana and hopes to reach cooperative agreements with the other states in the region, Oklahoma and New Mexico. This approach has brought us a long way, but it can't take us all the way to a clean, healthy environment for all our families.
Partnerships are the future of environmental protection.
I am pleased to commit to enhanced EPA cooperation with the state, businesses and families of Arkansas. Senior managers at ADEQ and the EPA Region 6 have agreed to work together on several TMDL issues. For example, the EPA will help Arkansas and Oklahoma resolve matters concerning the Illinois River in northeastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. Similarly, the EPA and ADEQ will work closely with local governments in Arkansas and surrounding states to address ozone pollution. Higher ozone levels, which have resulted in a number of cautionary alerts this summer, are likely to mean central Arkansas and the West Memphis area no longer will meet federal air quality standards.