The 2013 Western Governors’ Association Winter Meeting in Las Vegas was a great success, drawing a half-dozen governors, high-profile speakers and nearly 300 attendees. 

The meeting saw the launch of the Western Governors' Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool, a cooperative effort of 16 Western states to provide the public and industry a non-regulatory, 30,000-foot view of “crucial habitat” across the West. Western Governors announced eight new policy resolutions on a variety of issues that range from water to radioactive waste, bonding for mine reclamation to Secure Rural Schools.

Attending Western Governors included WGA Chair and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, WGA Vice Chair and Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, as well as Idaho's Butch Otter, Montana's Steve Bullock, Utah's Gary Herbert and Wyoming's Matt Mead.