WGA approves nine policy resolutions for Fiscal Year 2024
Recently, the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) released its 2024 annual report, a 30-page document highlighting work the association has done over the past year and their priorities for moving forward.
The report focuses on WGA Chair and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s Decarbonizing the West Initiative, as well as WGA’s projects to protect Western landscapes and prosperity, such as wildfire and disaster assistance, forest and rangeland management, species conservation, energy and mining, rural development and connectivity, healthcare, cybersecurity and outdoor recreation, just to name a few.
Additionally, the report outlines nine policy resolutions WGA formally approved in Fiscal Year 2024, which the governors believe represent their collective views on a broad range of issues affecting the West.
Strengthening relationships
In the report, WGA notes improving communication and cooperation between state and federal entities is one of their highest priorities, which is why the association’s first policy resolution of 2024 looks to do just that.
WGA Policy Resolution 2024-01, Strengthening the State-Federal Relationship, states, “In the absence of a Constitutional delegation of authority to the federal government, state authority should be presumed sovereign. Each executive department and agency should have a clear and accountable process to provide states with early, meaningful and substantive input in the development of federal regulatory policies.”
“Where authority has been delegated by the federal government to the states, states should be granted the maximum administrative discretion possible and should be treated as partners and co-regulators,” it continues.
Land management and species conservation
With Western states laying claim to over 75 percent of national forest and rangelands, which are responsible for jobs, recreation and quality of life, the governors’ second policy resolution, National Forest and Rangeland Management, addresses challenges on and management of federal lands.
In order to accomplish effective management of national forests and rangelands, WGA emphasizes the need for coordination between federal, state, local and Tribal land management agencies.
WGA Policy Resolution 2024-02 also outlines the governors’ recommendations for wildfire mitigation, suppression and recovery; workforce development and grazing administration.
In WGA Policy Resolution 2024-03, Species Conservation and the Endangered Species Act, the association updated its position on species management and conservation to reflect their support of voluntary and proactive management efforts using the best available science across individual states.
The opioid crisis
As opioid addiction becomes one of the nation’s most devastating public health crises, WGA penned WGA Policy Resolution 2024-03, Combating the Opioid Crisis, which highlights the negative impacts of opioid use across Western communities.
“The governors support efforts to identify and mitigate emerging threats, curb the supply and distribution of illicit opioids and the inappropriate use of prescriptions and provide access to a full range of effective prevention, treatment and recovery approaches,” the report reads.
Disaster preparedness
The fifth resolution, titled Disaster Preparedness and Response, recognizes WGA’s role in coordinating and executing the four phases of emergency management – mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.
In this resolution, WGA also emphasizes the need for clear communication between government and local communities when dealing with disaster.
“In any disaster or emergency situation, good communication is key to developing and executing an effective response, promoting public confidence in that response and empowering citizens to make informed decisions about their safety and welfare,” reads the report.
Transportation infrastructure and mine cleanup
In WGA Policy Resolution 2024-06, the governors voice their support for flexible and long-term federal funding dedicated to the maintenance and expansion of surface transportation networks and ports.
According to the report, this resolution also outlines the unique air service needs of rural communities and collaboration between state and federal governments when planning for electric vehicle infrastructure.
Additionally, in WGA Policy Resolution 2024-08, Cleaning Up Abandoned Hardrock Mines in the West, the governors express their support for the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act and a pilot program proposed in the bill to protect against liabilities faced under the Clean Water Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
Water management and quality
Two of WGA’s last three policy resolutions address water in the West.
According to the report, WGA Policy Resolution 2024-07, Water Resource Management in the West, highlights states’ sovereign authority over the allocation of water in their boundaries and emphasizes the importance of federal infrastructure in reliably delivering water to rural communities.
WGA Policy Resolution 2024-09, Water Quality in the West, states, “Clean water is essential to strong economies, healthy ecosystems and quality of life in the West. In this resolution, the governors emphasize states’ role as coregulators in the implementation of the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.”
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
