For Mark's question regarding #2, it wold be a very simple task to set up a Submission page on the USATF site. It would simply ask for some race information, and have the user enter the Certificate Number for the course they are planning to use.
The downside is, there is no validation on our part. Should there be? Why should we care if a course is used for multiple races? However, if a user fat-fingers an entry, then that entry exists, with no way for them to remove it.
A cross-check method, and a bit harder to program the entry interface for, would be to have all submissions go to the certifier for that state.
Maybe it is time for us to take another step, and alter our process. We can't always do what we have always been doing, as the certification environment is changing. We need to be flexible, and see how we can accommodate new needs.