Press Release

The members of the Western Governors’ Association also elected Arizona Gov. Jane Dee Hull as their Vice Chair, the first woman to serve in that position for the organization. The governors concluded their two-day meeting by adopting 10 policy resolutions, which included calling for improved forest ecosystem health on federal lands; a moratorium on airline mergers and re-examination of essential air service for small communities; and the development of a national energy policy.

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho, WGA’s Chairman, said Western governors have already begun working with the administration in a new joint partnership to improve the ecosystem health of forests and rangelands and to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires, such as those that raged across the West this year. The governors adopted a policy resolution supporting that partnership and calling on Congress and the Administration to fund broad scale restoration projects.

"We need to get back to where we have fire-safe forests," Kempthorne said. "We know that fires are part of the natural system, but we need to reduce the fuel load so they are not so devastating that we lose entire forests and the entire habitat. We need to use good science to determine what is the best method to accomplish that goal."

The governors said the joint state/federal partnership on forest ecosystem health should be a model for how the country addresses other environmental and natural resource issues. And they plan to spend time in the nation’s capitol next year advocating processes based on what are known as the Enlibra principles that call for collaboration; a focus on results, rather than just programs; the use of good science; and the use of market-based incentives when appropriate. Govs. Mike Leavitt of Utah and John Kitzhaber of Oregon are sponsors of this long-standing WGA policy.

"As governors we are concerned that the level of progress we’re making is both too slow and too expensive," Leavitt said. "Our objective as a nation should be to double the amount of environmental progress, but at half the price."

As an example of how collaborative processes can work in the area of forest ecosystem health, Kitzhaber described his state’s 11-point plan that includes restoration treatments, involving diverse citizens in the process and using the best available science.

"We have been engaging communities, diverse interests, and agency partners early in our project selection," Kitzhaber said. "We work with willing private landowners and watershed councils to integrate their restoration efforts with federal landowners if they choose. This is anything from weed management and prevention to much more comprehensive watershed restoration."

Nebraska Gov. Mike Johanns said the next farm bill, which Congress will begin considering for reauthorization next year, should include conservation incentives that would assist ranchers and farmers stay on the land and achieve conservation goals.

"When it comes to conservation and environment, we hope that landowner programs and incentives will be expanded," Johanns said. "Farmers and ranchers are good conservationists. They want to do the right thing for the land. We hope that the federal program will incent them to do that."

Congress and the administration will also hear from governors on the issue of broadband connectivity, especially for the rural West.

"The biggest challenge we have, regardless of how quickly technology has advanced, is if you don’t have the ability to be connected to the rest of the world, you are at a disadvantage economically," Geringer said. He said governors will work with its High Technology Council on providing connectivity across the West to improve local economies, education and health.

Gov. Hull, who was elected to be the association’s vice chairperson, said the issue of connectivity is high on her list of key issues for Western states.

"People want to be able to live where they want, to have the quality of life they choose, and for more and more people, that is somewhere in the West," she said. "We need to get all of our communities connected so they all can enjoy the prosperity high technology offers."

The governors concluded the day by adopting several policy resolutions. In addition to the resolution related to improving forest ecosystem health, the resolutions included:

• Regional Air Service in the West – sponsored by Govs. Geringer; Kenny Guinn, Nevada; Johanns; Hull; and Bill Owens, Colo.

The governors asked the Department of Transportation to impose a moratorium on all proposed and future mergers, including the merger between United Airlines and US Airways, until a market dominance policy is in place. They also asked the Justice Department to extend its evaluation of the merger in terms of current and future impacts on service to small non-hub communities and they asked the Federal Trade Commission to extend its analysis of joint marketing agreements of merged airlines on current and future market control of small community service.

The governors said Congress should fully fund commitments to the Essential Air Service Program. They also want to work with Congress and the administration over the next three years to re-examine that program and consider market-building incentives, service stability, hub airport access and ticket-pricing incentives.

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