Initiative Highlights Frontpage
Drought Preparedness in the West: Findings and Recommendations
Prolonged droughts have severely negative effects on the economy and income in the West. To minimize the impacts of drought Western Governors are working to improve drought forecasting and promote drought preparedness throughout the region. WGA and the Western States Water Council held meetings with citizens, businesses and governmental end-users of drought information. A 2011 report summarizing the findings includes:
- Strengthening the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS);
- Improving drought preparedness and planning; and
- Identifying the role of states and other stakeholders in shaping climate services.
Read more about the water program at: Clean, Reliable Water Supplies for the West.
Landscape-scale Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife recreation has always been an important part of the West's economy. To protect and enhance wildlife, and minimize the impacts of new development and a warming climate, Western Governors are working across political boundaries to enhance landscape-scale wildlife conservation through the Western Governors Wildlife Council. The council has brought states together for the first time to coordinate their data and produce more accurate wildlife counts and maps, and the Governors have committed to completing this effort within three years.
Regional Transmission Expansion Project
Developing affordable, reliable and low carbon energy sources are critical for the West's continue growth. TheGovernors have directed WGA, Western Interstate Energy Board and Western Electricity Coordinating Council to work together to analyze transmission requirements under a broad range of alternative energy futures and to develop long-term, interconnection-wide transmission expansion plans. The Regional Transmission Expansion Project will help Governors and other decision makers formulate effective policies that will result in an electricity generation and transmission system that is clean, secure, reliable and reasonably priced. It will also help inform the private sector on where new transmission can be built with the least impact to the environment and nature.
Issues being examined include how best to manage the impacts to wildlife and water supplies associated with large scale energy development, potential impacts of demand-side management (energy efficiency and conservation) programs, plug-in electric vehicles on future electricity demand, and the potential expansion of nuclear energy as a generating source.
The Western Governors’ Wildlife Council is working to develop tools and strategies that will assist states in identifying crucial wildlife habitat and corridors. A new Stakeholder Advisory Group is being formed to serve as a sounding board as the Council works to develop regionally compatible wildlife Decision Support Systems within each state and other work products. The DSS is a mapping tool intended to help decision-makers balance development with protecting key wildlife habitat and corridors. Gov. Schweitzer highlights the benefits of the Montana DSS in the clip below. Sign up to receive e-mail and/or Twitter updates.