Press Release

The governors held the summit to seek feedback on the principles they adopted earlier this year, called Enlibra: A New Shared Doctrine for Environmental Management. The principles, which stand for balance and stewardship, were conceived as a way to accelerate the resolution of difficult environmental challenges.

Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, who serves as the co-lead for the Western Governors' Association Enlibra initiative, said the West has made a great deal of environmental progress over the past 25 years, but it has often been too slow and too expensive.

"We cannot eliminate conflict, but we can accelerate the pace at which problems get resolved with less cost," Leavitt said. "The goal is to have a set of principles that can be used by those willing to adopt them whether they are individuals, organizations, corporations or governments."

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, who serves as co-lead with Leavitt, said the principles do not reject the tools of regulation and litigation, but noted that what is needed for a new era of environmental management are the tools of collaboration. He said this conference is trying to put in place the tools of bringing people together to solve problems.

"We are entering a new era of environmental politics--an era where the very nature and complexity of the problems we face challenge us to seek new strategies for success--particularly those that call for, and result in, greater individual responsibility and accountability for our air, land and water. You cannot achieve that through regulation; you cannot achieve that through confrontation; you cannot achieve that through the courts.

"You can only achieve that through the kind of cooperation and collaboration that the concept of Enlibra seeks to represent."

Wyoming Gov. Jim Geringer, WGA Chairman, characterized the group discussions as seeking to enhance the environment, enhance economic productivity and improve the quality of human and community life.

"Part of what the group told us is that there is a leadership role needed for implementation. We'll accept that challenge," Geringer said. "While governors have primary responsibility for leading that effort, it is not ours exclusively. The only way to move forward is for everyone to put the principles in practice in their businesses, in their organizations as well as through their government. We have a dual goal of social justice and economic efficiency."

A summary of the proceedings is expected to be completed in late January. Next steps for the governors include refining the principles and reviewing the many suggestions received from summit participants for moving forward. Additional information on the Enlibra initiative is available on the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.

The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 18 states, two territories and one commonwealth. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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