Executive Director's Notebook: A Cheyenne visit with Gov. Matt Mead

This week's busy schedule included WGA's first sponsor luncheon of the year, hosted by Wyoming Governor Matt Mead at the Governor's Mansion in Cheyenne.

I was able to share with our sponsors and the governor just how busy we've been at WGA. In the previous week alone, we:

Testified before Congress, requesting a directive to federal land management agencies to use state wildlife data and analysis. (Read the testimony)

Met with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss a new model for the state-federal relationship, one involving an authentic partnership, as opposed to the federal government telling the states what to do and how to do it;Delivered a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack calling for the effective deployment of industry to help manage forest lands and reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires.

And this week? We have been advocating for streamlined licensing of hydropower projects in western states and assembling the governors' position on reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act.

At the luncheon, Governor Mead offered insightful commentary on governing and why it's important for Western states to work together. On Western issues such as water, energy and public lands, governors can -- on a bipartisan basis -- wield enormous influence on federal and regional policy. The governor also spent a good amount of time talking about the value of WGA, especially when it comes to building consensus around policy that delivers results for the governors.

After his talk, Governor Mead fielded questions from the audience on issues ranging from Medicaid to Wyoming's energy policy. 

Special thanks are due to our sponsor, BNSF Railway, which hosted WGA representatives on a train ride for charity prior to the lunch.