Jul 01, 2008

Salt Lake City - Utah Governor Jon Huntsman officially began as Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) today at the conclusion of the annual convention in Jackson, Wyoming. The Governor has been serving as Vice Chair for the past year and was elected to the position Sunday by his peers.

"We must continue to focus on the issues that not only impact our region, but the globe. As we consider the issues of the environment and energy that are so critical, we must do so with three main concerns at the forefront: affordability, energy security and emissions," Governor Huntsman said.

"However, there is only so much we can do as a region, we must engage people outside of our nation’s borders to bring an international dimension to the WGA. The challenges we face in the West cannot be solved without a global approach."

Governor Huntsman replaces Governor Dave Freudenthal as the Chair. The Governor will serve for a one year period and along with the new Vice Chair of WGA, Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

The Western Governor’s Association serves the Governors of 19 states and three U.S. flag pacific islands. WGA addresses important policy and governance issues in the West, advances the role of the Western states in the federal system, and strengthens the social and economic fabric of the region. The association develops policy and carries out programs in the areas of natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and state governance. WGA acts as a center of innovation and promotes shared development of
solutions to regional problems.

The complete annual meeting agenda is available on the Web at
www.westgov.org.