Regional Economic Development

"The West is already beginning to see the effects of climate change, which could have major impacts on our economies, public health and the environment," said Gov. Brian Schweitzer (Mont.), Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association.

Western governors, car manufacturers and electric utility representatives meeting here today agreed that electric vehicles will become mainstream only with coordinated, long-term infrastructure planning and development.

First, push hard to fulfill the Obama administration’s education reforms. Those reforms, embraced by Republicans and Democrats, encourage charter school innovation, improve teacher quality, support community colleges and simplify finances for college students and war veterans. That’s the surest way to improve human capital.

The mission of the WGWC, consistent with WGA policy, is to identify key wildlife corridors and crucial wildlife habitats in the West and to develop and coordinate implementation of needed policy options and tools for conserving those landscapes.

Nicknamed "county payments," the timber program was supposed to assist counties shortchanged when national forests limited logging to protect the northern spotted owl and other endangered species.

In fact, the answer to job creation is definitely not financially supported and government-mandated green energy policy that focuses its efforts on wind and sun. The reasons why that policy won’t work include:

Rural America has fared better than the cities in most parts of the country, according to Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City officer Jason Henderson. That doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges ahead.

The power of entrepreneurs to create new businesses, jobs and wealth for their communities remains strong and a bright light of potential for the future.

"My tribe spends $80 million a year on goods and services," Gray-Proctor told the crowd. "How come I can’t get some of that?"

When are we going to halt public expenditures on the "buffalo hunt" for footloose industry and instead focus our resources and efforts on the sector that produces by far most of the jobs – existing industry and homegrown business?