Western Governors Adopt Clean Energy Resolutions

June 14, 2006

Western governors committed on June 11th to try to improve energy efficiency, bring on-line substantially more clean energy resources, and ensure there is adequate transmission available at a reasonable cost well into the future. The governors' commitment stemmed from a newly released report from their Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee (CDEAC), which included 38 recommendations relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as a number of recommendations relating to electrical transmission and advanced power generation from fossil fuels. The clean energy recommendations involve market incentives; regulatory policies; transmission access and pricing; regional efforts; and national policy recommendations. The governors resolved "to draw upon the full range of recommendations contained in the CDEAC report as a basis on which to advocate for energy policy changes at the federal and regional levels and their respective states, where appropriate."

In a separate resolution, the governors emphasized the need to reduce our nation's reliance on foreign oil and resolved to promote the use of regionally produced clean fuel substitutes. The resolutions were the first official acts of the Western Governors' Association (WGA) Annual Meeting, which concluded on June 13th in Sedona, Arizona. See the WGA press release; the policy resolutions on clean energy (PDF 35 KB) and clean fuels (PDF 28 KB); and the CDEAC report (PDF 1.1 MB). Download Adobe Reader.