Identified and discussed in this report are the major obstacles administrators of state environmental programs perceive they face when implementing federal environmental laws. These findings are based upon a survey conducted by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) in 1978. According to state officials, the greatest barriers to effective program management are: (1) delayed and inflexible regulations, (2) excessive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) control over state programs, (3) inability to fill state staffing vacancies, and (4) delayed and uncertain federal funding. Because of these obstacles and the states' perception that they have been ignored by federal decision makers, the partnership envisioned by Congress between the EPA and the states for administering federal environmental programs has not materialized. Recommendations by the GAO for improving the EPA-state relationship are presented. (Author/WB)