This study is based on 20 typical cases of central ecological and environmental inspections， using the qualitative comparative analysis method （csQCA） to examine the various configurations of formalistic behaviors in local ecological and environmental governance， in order to explain why formalism occurs and reproduces in local ecological and environmental governance. Research has found that no single factor can constitute a necessary or sufficient condition for the emergence of formalism， and the emergence of formalism in local ecological environment governance is actually a “multiple complex concurrent causality”. The six paths and three types of conditional configurations constitute the main driving mechanisms for the emergence of formalism in local environmental governance， namely the driving types of “economic constraint”， the “attention fulfillment suspension”， and the “mindset of avoiding responsibility”. The effective combination of various factors contributes to the occurrence and reproduction of formalism in the manner of different paths leading to the same destination. To prevent the reproduction of formalism in local ecological environment governance， cultivate a green background for high-quality development， and improve the ecological well-being of the people， it is urgent to make great efforts in promoting industrial transformation to balance the goals of “economy” and “environmental protection”， internal and external coordination to achieve the goals of the government’s environmental protection， and precise accountability to reduce officials’ tendencies of “avoiding responsibility”.