Acting Assistant Administrator Lawrence Starfield issued a memo to Regional Administrators and other agency staff establishing principles and best practices for effective partnerships between EPA and state civil enforcement and compliance programs. In the memo, AAG Starfield notes there may be “specific situations” where EPA will take direct action under its concurrent enforcement authority, including “actions to advance important national policy priorities” such as “lead contamination and environmental justice.” The memo was split into three parts: best practices for periodic joint work between EPA and regions and states to further shared accountability, the respective roles of EPA and states in implementing authorized programs, and the process by which issues that may arise under this policy will be elevated.