The Symmetry of Power and Responsibility between Local Government and Environmental Protection Department under Vertical Management System

At present, the severe situation of ecological environment and the environmental governance dilemma forced the reform of the management system of environmental protection, so it is a rational choice for environmental monitoring agencies below the provincial level to implement vertical management in environmental supervision and law enforcement in the context of a comprehensive deepening reform. According to the analysis framework based on the power of local governments and the decentralization of environmental protection departments, if the environmental protection departments implement the vertical management system, the law enforcement dilemma brought about by "territorial management" and "dual leadership" can be tackled, but the system cannot completely resist the asymmetry of power and responsibility caused by other forms of legitimate administrative intervention of local governments.Therefore, "the sense of responsibility" and "law enforcement" should be strengthened simultaneously to avoid "localization"; "the sense of duty" and "law enforcement supervision" should be highlighted to implement "administrative accountability"; "cross-sectoral cooperation" and "social participation" should be emphasized to achieve interactive "cooperative governance" and strike a balance between governments'rights and the environmental protection department decentralization, and then render the rights and responsibilities of local governments and environmental protection departments symmetric.