Vilsack, Raimondo will join Governors for Annual Meeting on June 30-July 1
WGA is excited to announce that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will join the Western Governors at our 2021 Annual Meeting hosted by WGA Chair, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. The Cabinet Secretaries will engage with the Governors in separate roundtable conversations on issues of regional significance. The two-day meeting (June 30-July 1) will feature the Governors in additional discussions with special guests on important topics such as emergency response and infrastructure. Register now!
Watch: Western Prosperity Roundtable launch
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and Idaho Gov. Brad Little opened last week’s Western Prosperity Roundtable Inaugural Forum with remarks (Watch), while experts on education, workforce and broadband participated in panel discussions. Learn more by watching all sessions of the launch forum on topics such as the digital divide, the use of data in decision making, workforce training and telehealth. The Roundtable is a new platform for WGA’s work on policies that advance Western Governors’ vision for expanded prosperity throughout the West. Learn more.
Electric Vehicle Research and Innovation is the latest podcast in a series for the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. Listen to the episode to learn about infrastructure modeling analysis from a GM architect, battery technology advances from a National Renewable Energy Laboratory researcher, and the latest on fleet charging and fueling systems from a manager at Trillium. (Download, listen) Learn even more by checking out the first podcast in the Initiative series, Electric Vehicles in Rural Areas.
Find the latest Governors’ policy outreach
Western Governors have shared policy on a variety of issues in recent weeks, including:
A request to National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy for close consultation during the National Climate Task Force’s work to achieve conservation of “at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030.” (Read, download the letter)
A closer role in the implementation of guidance on infrastructure permitting and planning from the Federal Highway Administration. (Read, download the letter)
Support for legislation supporting states’ cleanup activities on abandoned and orphaned oil and gas wells to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Read the letter)
A reminder of the need for expanded access to high-speed internet throughout the West in outreach to the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology (Read the letter).
Testimony on behalf of the Western Governors to House and Senate leadership on FY 2022 appropriations and activities, including Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, as well as Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education. (See all Appropriations Testimony)
ABOUT WGA
The Western Governors’ Association represents the Governors of the 22 westernmost states and territories. The association is an instrument of the Governors for bipartisan policy development, information exchange and collective action on issues of critical importance to the western U.S.
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