The resurgence of the states as political actors within the context of American federalism has been a phenomenon attracting notice from myriad quarters over the past several years. Constitutional and statutory reforms have strengthened the powers of the governors, streamlined the executive branches, made state legislatures more effective, efficient, accountable, and responsive, and modernized judicial systems.' The education, experience, and professionalism of elected, appointed, and civil service employees in state government have improved considerably in recent years.2 The states' capacity to act has been enhanced, accompanied and followed by increased innovative behavior in various policy fields. As the states have sought to shed their image as the weak link in the American intergovernmental network, the national government under the philosophy of New Federalism has begun a gradual withdrawal from policy initiative, looking increasingly to the states as policy innovators and administrators. The general trend in American federalism seems to be in the direction of the decentralization of responsibility for programs and program funding from the national government to the states. It has not been a smooth transition, as increasing conflicts between the states and Washington indicate.3 The gears of American federalism have alternately slipped and held strong as new directions have been considered and embarked upon. The subject of this article is a vehicle which shows unusual promise for resolving nationalstate and interstate conflicts and problems during this uncertain period in intergovernmental relations-the interstate compact-and one of the most recent applications of this device among the states-the development of compacts for the management and disposal of lowlevel radioactive wastes. After many years of little public attention, the management and disposal of low-level radioactive wastes (LLW) became a subject of intense scrutiny during the late 1970s. Three disposal facilities were closed down while the states hosting the three remaining burial sites began to resist their role as nuclear waste garbage dumps. The proposed solution that emerged from a year or so of subsequent federal-state conflict was legislation which encouraged state assumption of the responsibility for LLW through the formation of interstate compacts. Interstate compacts for the regional disposal of LLW appeared to offer benefits both to the national government and to the states. The national government finally would be able to rid itself of day-to-day responsibility for the increasingly contentious problem of LLW management. The states would be able to exercise their historical constitutional authority over land use and the protection of the public health and safety. Interstate compacts for LLW represent an important test of the vitality of the states and their ability to solve mutual problems in a collective fashion. Following a discussion of the history, process, and uses of interstate compacts generally, we will describe and analyze the development and progress of interstate compacting for LLW.