What are Interstate Compacts?

Interstate compacts are agreements made between two or more states in order to address shared concerns or manage resources collaboratively. These compacts allow states to work together on various issues such as environmental management, transportation, or resource sharing, bypassing some of the limitations of federal intervention. The Constitution explicitly allows for such agreements in Article I, Section 10, which states that no state can enter into any agreement or compact with another state without the consent of Congress. This legal framework underscores the purpose of interstate compacts as a means of fostering cooperation among states while ensuring that these agreements do not conflict with federal authority.

The other options do not accurately represent the nature of interstate compacts; they describe different types of governmental or legal structures that do not involve the collaborative agreements between states.