Annual Gathering for ECOS in New Mexico: Embracing Ecological Enlightenment in the Magic Realm
The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) 2025 Fall Meeting, taking place in Santa Fe on September 4, will feature a panel discussion titled "The State of State Compliance & Enforcement." The focus of the panel is on innovative approaches and technologies being employed to strengthen compliance and enforcement efforts in state regulatory programs, particularly in light of changes at the federal level.
Peggy Otum, Partner and Co-Chair of the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Practice, will participate in the panel discussion. The event will take place during the meeting, scheduled from 11:35 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.
The panel discussion will delve into the various key elements that are being utilised to address the challenges posed by the fragmentation and agility required in regulatory systems, as well as the need for AI-driven analytics and data intelligence platforms.
With federal enforcement actions in financial services dropping 37% in early 2025, states have stepped up to fill the enforcement void with diverse and often more stringent programs. This necessitates organisations to adopt agile, robust regulatory change management systems capable of handling multiple state rules and enforcement regimes simultaneously.
Tools such as Wolters Kluwer's Regulatory Violations Intelligence Index employ proprietary databases combined with artificial intelligence to help compliance professionals benchmark enforcement actions, anticipate regulatory shifts, allocate resources efficiently, and manage risk in a complex patchwork of state regulations.
State attorney general (AG) enforcement initiatives have also substantially increased in areas like consumer protection, environmental law, data privacy, antitrust, healthcare, and AI. State AGs are leading with rapid, adaptable enforcement strategies and evolving regulatory priorities more closely aligned with current technological and societal challenges.
The panel discussion will also explore the expansion and enactment of new state data privacy laws coupled with increased enforcement. This includes tighter controls on biometric data, geolocation tracking, and teen data, often lowering applicability thresholds. Enforcement targets transparency and timeliness in breach notification, proactive compliance, and clear consumer rights communication.
The panel aims to focus on AI regulation and cybersecurity, creating a complex regulatory environment. Compliance programs are integrating technology-specific controls and processes to meet emerging requirements around automated decision-making, algorithmic transparency, and data minimization. Cybersecurity compliance is also being strengthened with an eye on federal contract standards and breach response.
Lastly, the panel will emphasise the importance of proactive compliance and a collaborative enforcement approach. State regulators incentivize companies to demonstrate robust internal controls, clear privacy notices, actionable consumer rights, and timely breach responses. A cooperative posture with regulators, acknowledging responsibility and mitigating harm, can significantly influence outcomes.
In summary, the panel discussion aims to provide further insights into the innovative approaches and technologies being used to navigate the decentralised enforcement landscape created by federal realignment. These innovations help states maintain effectiveness and provide organisations with tools to comply across multiple, evolving jurisdictions.
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- Peggy Otum, a partner in environmental science, will discuss the use of AI-driven analytics and data intelligence platforms in addressing climate-change challenges during the panel discussion at the ECOS 2025 Fall Meeting.
- In light of the drop in federal enforcement actions, states have been adopting innovative technologies and strategies to enforce environmental regulations, emphasizing the need for companies to adopt agile regulatory change management systems.
- With the expansion of state data privacy laws and increased enforcement, companies need to proactively integrate technology-specific controls to meet emerging requirements around robotics, algorithms, and cybersecurity.
