ECOS

What ECOS does

ECOS — the Environmental Council of the States — is a 501(c)-style nonprofit membership organization founded in 1993 and headquartered at 1250 H Street NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC. Its members are the leaders of the 50 U.S. state environmental agencies, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, and ECOS's stated mission is to improve the capability of those agencies to protect human health and the environment. The organization operates as a neutral policy coordination forum: it runs biannual meetings (Spring and Fall), staffs committees and workgroups across ten Areas of Focus (Air, Water, Land & Waste, Energy, Chemicals & Emerging Contaminants, Compliance & Enforcement, Environmental Data, Federal Facilities, Sustainability & Materials Management, and Budget & Agency Management), publishes Green Reports, policy resolutions, and congressional testimony, and administers the State Innovation Awards program. ECOS coordinates with the U.S. EPA on cooperative federalism and maintains four affiliated vehicles: ITRC (regulatory acceptance of environmental technologies), The Exchange Network (state-tribal-EPA data exchange), E-Enterprise for the Environment (government modernization), and wholly-owned subsidiary ERIS (a 501(c)(3) research arm).

ECOS does not develop, sell, or license technology products, and the company has no public APIs, software platforms, or commercial revenue streams. Its core technology footprint consists of its website (ecos.org), a Vimeo channel for award and educational content, a LinkedIn presence, and RSS feeds — i.e., it is an information-publishing and convening operation rather than a software or platform business. Revenue is derived from membership dues paid by state and territorial environmental agencies, supplemented by likely pass-through and cooperative agreement funding tied to U.S. EPA joint programs; pricing is not publicly disclosed. ECOS is governed by a Board of Directors composed of state agency leaders (President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Past President, committee chairs, ERIS president, and four at-large members) and is operationally run by a small executive team led by Executive Director Ben Grumbles, supported by approximately 15 staff based in Washington, DC.

Recent strategic positioning has emphasized emerging policy domains — notably a Green Report on leveraging AI for environmental protection, a new AI & Technology category in the State Innovation Awards, expanded Environmental Justice & Title VI coordination across 35+ states, and active testimony in U.S. FY27 appropriations and rulemakings on WOTUS and water quality certification. ECOS received the 2025 Environmental Achievement Award from the Environmental Law Institute. The organization continues to incubate and integrate its subsidiary ERIS and the affiliated ITRC, Exchange Network, and E-Enterprise for the Environment programs, sustaining a four-decade operating history of cross-state, state-federal environmental policy coordination.

Name

ECOS

Legal name

The Environmental Council of the States

Website

https://ecos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ECOS is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit founded in 1993 that serves as the membership organization for the leaders of all 50 U.S. state, District of Columbia, and territorial environmental agencies, coordinating policy, sharing best practices, and liaising with the U.S. EPA on cooperative federalism across ten environmental focus areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Policy Coordination Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Policy, Planning & Regulation (BPAIAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), Environmental Protection Agencies & Environmental Health Departments (HLAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Environmental policy coordination
• State environmental agencies
• Membership organization
• Cooperative federalism
• Public health protection

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ECOS is a membership organization funded by state and territorial environmental agencies. Membership dues support organizational operations and policy coordination activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ECOS is a nonprofit membership organization that coordinates policy, information sharing, and capability-building activities for state and territorial environmental protection agencies across the United States. It works across 10 environmental focus areas (Air, Water, Land & Waste, Energy, Chemicals & Emerging Contaminants, Compliance & Enforcement, Environmental Data, Federal Facilities, Sustainability & Materials Management, and Budget & Agency Management) and serves as the unified voice of state environmental agencies when engaging with the U.S. EPA on cooperative federalism matters.

Product overview

ECOS (Environmental Council of the States) is a membership organization for state and territorial environmental agencies, not a traditional product company. ECOS provides coordination services, policy resources, and knowledge-sharing programs across 10 environmental focus areas. Its core offerings include publishing Green Reports and policy documents on topics like PFAS, AI for environmental protection, sustainable materials management, and environmental justice. The organization administers the State Innovation Awards program recognizing state environmental initiatives, and supports affiliated programs including ITRC (environmental technology acceptance), The Exchange Network (environmental data exchange), E-Enterprise for the Environment (government modernization), and ERIS (environmental research).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ECOS Membership Annual membership in the Environmental Council of the States, providing state and territorial environmental agency leaders with policy coordination, information sharing across 10 environmental focus areas, access to Green Reports and policy documents, participation in committees and workgroups, and a unified voice in cooperative federalism with U.S. EPA. Membership includes all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% reduction in nitrogen loads compared to baseline levels in Mississippi River states, exceeding the 20% target

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Environmental Research Institute of the States (ERIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerERIS is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educational and research issues. It is an ECOS subsidiary that focuses on educational and research issues.
• Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council (ITRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITRC is a state-led coalition of state and federal regulators, industry, and stakeholders working together to achieve regulatory acceptance of environmental technologies.
• The Exchange NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA partnership among States, Territories, Tribes, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that is improving and expanding the exchange of environmental information.
• E-Enterprise for the EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA transformative 21st-century strategy to modernize how government agencies deliver environmental protection.
• U.S. Environmental Protection AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency that works with ECOS on cooperative federalism initiatives, environmental policy coordination, and joint funding programs for states.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Environmental Law Institute (ELI): ELI is a non-partisan environmental law and policy research nonprofit that awarded ECOS the 2025 Environmental Achievement Award. Both organizations are DC-based environmental non-profits focused on policy, capacity-building, and research, but ELI operates as a research/education body rather than a state-agency convening organization.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO): NASBO represents state budget officers across all 50 states, following the same member-driven convening model as ECOS. It intersects with ECOS through state environmental agency budget and funding matters, including Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocations.
• National Governors Association (NGA): NGA is the bipartisan membership organization of the nation's governors from all 50 states, territories, and DC. It serves a similar state-executive convening function to ECOS but at a broader cross-policy level, including environmental policy as one of many workstreams.
• National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL): NCSL is a bipartisan membership organization serving state legislators in all 50 states, DC, and territories. It is a comparable state-government convening body to ECOS, focused on the legislative rather than executive branch but with overlapping environmental policy interests.
• National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG): NAAG is the bipartisan membership organization of state and territorial attorneys general, using a similar state-official convening and federal-coordination model. It overlaps with ECOS on environmental enforcement, particularly for state-level environmental justice and consumer protection actions.
• Council of State Governments (CSG): CSG is a broader multi-branch state government membership organization serving governors, legislators, and state agency leaders across all states and territories. It overlaps with ECOS in member base and federal-state coordination function, but addresses all policy domains rather than environmental specialization.

Direct peers

• National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC): NARUC represents state public utility commissioners across all 50 states and territories on energy, water, and telecommunications regulation. Like ECOS, it operates as a non-profit state-official membership organization with a Washington, DC headquarters and engages with federal partners on cross-jurisdictional policy.
• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA): NASDA is the membership organization for state agriculture department leaders across all 50 states, mirroring ECOS's structure for the agriculture policy domain. Both organizations serve as convening bodies between state executives and federal agencies (USDA for NASDA, EPA for ECOS).
• Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA): AFWA represents state fish and wildlife agencies in all 50 states, following the same state-agency membership and federal-state coordination model as ECOS, but focused on fish, wildlife, and habitat policy rather than broader environmental protection.
• National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA): NACAA is a membership association of state and local air pollution control agencies, directly paralleling ECOS's model for a narrower (air-only) policy domain. Both organizations coordinate state-level environmental regulatory capacity and engage with U.S. EPA on cooperative federalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/ecostates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/environmental-council-of-the-states
• Xx.com/ecostates
• Facebookfacebook.com/ECOStates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ECOS