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Western Governors' Association Resolution 98-001
Principles for Environmental Management in the West -Enlibra
Summary of Written Comments
April 1999
In December of 1999, the Western Governors' Association held its Environmental Summit
on the West in Phoenix, during which participants were advised of the opportunity to
submit written comments on WGA's Enlibra doctrine. As of April 1999, WGA has received
approximately 30 written comments, some co-signed by a number of entities and individuals.
This summary breaks those comments into three categories: overarching themes, comments
about the doctrine itself, and ideas for implementing Enlibra. This summary does not list
specific environmental or natural resources issues raised in the written comments, nor
does it attribute the comments listed. However, a list of entities who submitted written
comments is included. Finally, this summary attempts to capture new thoughts and
suggestions rather than reiterate issues captured in WGA's Summary of the Plenary and
Breakout Sessions of the Environmental Summit on the West. This document is also available
on WGA's Web site.
OVERARCHING THEMES
- Most comments expressed gratitude to the governors for elevating the issue of the future
of environmental and natural resources management in the West.
- Federal agencies were generally eager to offer assistance and to partner with the
governors in the implementation of Enlibra.
- Many comments agreed that a preamble/vision statement would give needed clarity to the
purposes of the Enlibra doctrine.
- No written comments expressed complete opposition to Enlibra.
THE ENLIBRA DOCTRINE
- Clarify that Enlibra does not entail loss of legal remedies unless alternative
protections are achieved.
- Clarify the applicability of the national standards principle when there is not a
national standard and define the meaning of national standard.
- Will collaboration occur without external pressures?
- How do the governors demonstrate a long-term level of commitment to the doctrine?
- Stakeholders need to have the authority to move to the middle.
- Recognize the appropriate role of municipalites and counties in the Enlbira document.
- How does Enlibra encourage one-issue stakeholders to look at broader issues such as
ecosystem health?
- Need to ensure vocal minority cannot undo agreements reached.
- Need to integrate Congress into Enlibra so Enlibra solutions are not overturned.
- Does Enlibra allow collaborative processes to continue indefinitely?
- Economic incentives must be available across the board and not just to certain
stakeholder segments.
- Environmental education principle should be improved placing emphasis on the sustainable
development criteria.
- Recognizing costs and benefits should include strengthening analytical processes to
examine socio-economic consequences of resource management policy decisions.
- Environmental problems should be addressed and resolved at the geographic level that
best represents the majority of the citizens directly affected by the decision.
- For Enlibra to be successful, local level politicians and commissions need to understand
and embrace it.
- Control of growth in the West needs to be a major part of the doctrine.
- Enlibra can only provide support for neighborhood decision-making processes, but
processes themselves happen at the local level.
- Need to add an unequivocal assertion of the principle of environmental federalism.
- Markets before mandates principle should include a call for an end to extractive
subsidies.
- Enlibra too vague and could disenfranchise those who don't live close to public lands.
- Balance and consensus need to be tools and not ends unto themselves.
IMPLEMENTATION IDEAS
- Develop options matrix to objectively evaluate positives and negatives of environmental
solutions.
- Use representative committees to evaluate critical issues and use existing organizations
such as universities as platforms for implementation.
- Transfer some decision-making powers to lower levels on an experimental basis.
- Organize and encourage Enlibra workshops at the local level.
- Create a pool of Enlibra facilitators.
- Create a recognizable Enlibra symbol/logo that could be used by entities that adopt
Enlibra.
- Demonstrate through a study of results where the environment has been protected through
collaboration.
- Environmental management systems such as EPA's Project XL are a model for
performance-based systems (define environmental objectives/targets to be accountable with
documented management processes).
- Work with new Congressional bipartisan initiative called the Second Generation of
Environmental Stewardship to create legislative agenda based on Enlibra principles.
- Use existing Enlibra-type projects spread laterally to fill existing environmental issue
gaps rather than starting new efforts.
- Environmental technology is a key part of Enlibra; to expand its use WGA could: 1)
continue dialogue through web discussion group; 2) create an Enlibra tool kit; 3) engage
state energy offices; 4) create Enlibra policy/case studies library; and, 5) inform other
federal agencies.
- Collaborate on forest plans, forest watershed protections and restoration, and forest
stewardship contracting.
- Apply Enlibra to specific issues such as the Western Regional Air Partnership to show
value.
- Inform Congress and Federal Agencies of final Enlibra principles.
- Form strategic stakeholder relationship with the interests in the geospatial data
community.
- In partnership, conduct a series of focus groups in a specific geographic area to gather
feedback on Enlibra and how it might be applied there.
WRITTEN COMMENT SUBMISSIONS
Jeff Allen, Oregon Environmental Council
Bill Alt, Colorado State Soil Conservation Board
Ken Ashby, President, Utah Farm Bureau
Sandy Bahr, Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Chapter
William Becker, Director, DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Charles Benjamin, Kansas Natural Resources Council
Louis Blumberg, Assistant Regional Director, The Wilderness Society
Melvin Brown, Speaker, Utah House of Representatives
Kenneth Bueche, Western Municipal Conference
Bill Corbin, Executive Vice President, Timberlands and Distribution, Weyerhaeuser Co.
Marie Curtis, New Jersey Environmental Lobby
Mike Dombeck, Chief, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Bruce Driver, Attorney & Consultant, Land & Water Fund of the Rockies
Lorraine Fleming, Deleware Nature Society
Jack Hamilton, Executive Director, Center for Wetlands and Riparian Design, Salt Lake
City
Laura Hitchcock, State Environmental Leadership Program, Seattle, WA
William Howell, Executive Director, Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments
Jan Jarrett, Pennsylvania Campaign for Clean Affordable Energy
Rick Johnson, Idaho Conservation League
Debra Knopman, Director, Progressive Policy Institute
Bill Kopsky, Arkansas Public Policy Panel
Virginia Korte, Scottsdale, AZ
Patricia Lundstrom, Colorado Plateau Forum
Steve Montgomery, Conservation Council for Hawaii
John Moeller, Federal Geographic Data Committee
Steve Moran, Coordinator, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture
Richard Neilsen,Citizen Alert
R. Max Peterson, Executive Vice President, Int'l Assoc. of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Lana Pollack, Michigan Environmental Council
Roger Pryor, Missouri Coalition for the Environment
Jay Sherman, Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Michael Somerville, State Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
Norm Steenstra, West Virginia Environmental Council
Kathy Fong Stephens, Portland, OR
Susan Tixier, Colorado Environmental Coalition
Jeff Vonk, State Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
The Wilderness Society, California/Nevada Regional Office
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