WGA's 2023 Winter Meeting

The 2023 Winter Meeting of the Western Governors’ Association, hosted by Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon in beautiful Jackson Hole, featured the Western Governors in public policy discussions with four Cabinet members, national thought leaders, and industry experts about the most critical issues facing the region.

Read highlights, see photos

CHAIR INITIATIVE

Decarbonizing the West

Decarbonizing the West is the 2024 WGA Chair Initiative of Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. The initiative will examine how carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, including direct air capture (DAC), can position western states at the forefront of emerging carbon markets and reduce the effects of carbon emissions on the environment.

Learn more

NEW EPISODE

'Out West' Podcast

In the latest episode of WGA’s Out West podcast Colorado Governor Jared Polis shares some of his experiences from his WGA Chair initiative, The Heat Beneath Our Feet, and discusses the policy recommendations outlined in the initiative report.

Listen here

INITIATIVE REPORT

The Heat Beneath Our Feet

The central policy initiative of WGA's 2023 Chair, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, examined opportunities for and barriers to the increased deployment of geothermal energy technologies for both electricity generation and heating and cooling systems in western states, which contain the vast majority of high-yield geothermal energy capacity in the U.S. Through a rigorous stakeholder process that included four workshops, six tours, a public survey, and a webinar series, the Heat Beneath Our Feet initiative generated recommendations for accelerating the development and deployment of geothermal energy in the West.

Read the report

HIGH SCHOOL ART COMPETITION

Celebrate the West

The Western Governors’ Foundation is excited to announce the state winners of the eighth annual Celebrate the West regional art competition.

See their artwork

WGA Winter Meeting, Nov. 6-8, 2023, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

WGA Annual Meeting June 10-12, 2024, Olympic Valley, California

Western Governors applaud provisions to expand the Low-Income Housing Tax C...

Decarbonizing the West

By Wyoming
Mark Gordon

Decarbonizing the West is the 2024 WGA Chair initiative of Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon. The initiative will examine how decarbonization strategies and technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, direct air capture (DAC), and natural sequestration can position western states at the forefront of innovation and reduce the effects of carbon emissions on the environment. Through a series of workshops and webinars, WGA will convene federal, state, local, tribal, and industry stakeholders to explore issues and themes relevant to the development and deployment of carbon dioxide removal technologies, including statutory and regulatory barriers, technical advancements and challenges, and emerging applications for carbon. An initiative report will be released at the conclusion of the initiative in summer 2024.

WGA's 2023 Winter Meeting

CHAIR INITIATIVE