Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt was one in as quintet of governors who participated in the latest Western Governors Association (WGA) assembly. Stitt and his friends participated in periods with a spread of federal officers.
The governors additionally led a dialogue – Stitt mentioned (in a Facebook posting) – “examining ways to strengthen the domestic supply of minerals.”
The group apparently agreed with the Oklahoman’s abstract: “Minerals are essential inputs to nearly every economic sector from agriculture and electronics to transportation and energy.”
During the assembly, the affiliation permitted resolutions on various public coverage points.
Kicking off the assembly held at “the iconic Arizona Biltmore” in Phoenix the affiliation’s government director, Jim Obsbury laid out the two-day agenda as consisting of situation discussions, seeking “practical common-sense solutions, in a non-partisan way, to move the West forward and move the nation forward … We in the West continue to be successful with your help and working together… thank you all for being here and empowering this important work.”
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland echoed themes of “non-partisan collaboration,” in accordance to a WGA abstract, focusing “at length about the work her department is undertaking to address the region’s historic drought, catastrophic wildfires, and the transition to renewable energy.’
Haaland told the five governors and others in attendance, “The dire circumstances we are in require extraordinary cooperation. We can’t count on the way things have always been to carry us through. Yes, they’re uphill fights, but it’s nothing we can’t do together.”
In addition to Stitt, western state governors participating included Mark Gordon of Wyoming, Spencer Cox of Utah, Kate Brown of Oregon, and Jared Polis of Colorado.
A trio of policy resolutions were approved, including one addressing sharing of royalties garnered on federal lands within the various states.
A abstract pf the first decision — supplied in early December — reported, “The federal government has codified several historic agreements and programs to compensate western states for reduced revenue associated with the presence of tax-exempt federal lands within their borders. Western Governors call upon the federal government to honor its statutory obligations to share royalty and lease payments with states and counties. States, as recipients of revenues from these programs and agreements, should be provided meaningful and substantial opportunities for consultation in the development of federal policy affecting those revenues
In a second resolution, WGA asserted:
“The federal government must honor its historic Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) agreement with states and counties in the West to compensate them for the presence of tax-exempt federal lands within their borders. Predictable and full payments under the PILT and the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) programs are vital to the provision of state and county public goods and services, such as roads, emergency response, and wildlife and natural resources protection. Western Governors support legislative efforts to improve the predictability and reliability of PILT payments. …”
The resolution summary stressed the importance to western states of “reliability of PILT payments and ensure forest counties receive stable SRS payments.”
A third WGA resolution focused on the role of housing access in “the Success of the West.” The summary released early this month reads: “Due to rapid population growth and housing shortages, housing is a significant challenge in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the West. This resolution highlights Western Governors’ policy related to the availability and affordability of housing in western states and territories. While many of the policies and programs affecting housing are within the jurisdiction of local governments, a variety of federal programs influence housing markets and housing development. In the resolution, the Governors recommend actions to improve federal housing programs and resources so that they function more effectively for western states and territories.”
While the winter gathering was often technical and policy-specific, it including an opening performance of the Phoenix Children’s Chorus. The youngsters sang Christmas Carols described as “comically personalized for each of the five Western Governors in attendance.”
Last spring, Gov. Stitt hosted the WGA “Western Prosperity Roundtable” in Oklahoma City. At that session he reported, among other issues, on state efforts to assure secure and reliable Internet service to Oklahoma’s rural areas.
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