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Pacific coastal states join B.C. in signing agreement to develop green strategies |
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Written by THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Friday, 04 July 2008 |
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JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. - British Columbia has joined four U.S. states in signing the Pacific Coast Collaborative, an agreement to co-operate on green strategies along the Pacific coast.
Premier Gordon Campbell announced the project on the second day of the annual Western Governors' Association conference, held this year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
"I believe that we will establish a legacy of engagement among the leaders that will lead to co-operative action on critical issues that face our region both now and in the future," Campbell said from Wyoming.
The premier did not take questions.
Under the agreement, the premier of British Columbia will meet with the governors of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California each year to collaborate on issues that affect the Pacific region.
Those include clean energy, regional transportation and transit, alternative fuel distribution and developing a sustainable regional economy.
Campbell said the states and B.C. will also co-operate on climate change issues and emergency management. The meeting location will rotate each year through the jurisdictions.
Washington Governor Chris Gregoire said coastal states and provinces face unique issues, and the agreement allows them to look beyond "artificial boundaries."
"We may divide states by some fictitious line, but we don't divide our water, don't divide our air."
The Pacific Coast Collaborative does not come as a surprise - it was announced in the B.C. Speech from the Throne in 2007, and B.C. has signed several similar agreements with the states in the last year.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin also signed the agreement.
On Sunday, governors and premiers from several western states and provinces voted to form the Western Wildlife Habitat Council, which will study ways to protect animal habitat in the face of ever-increasing demand for domestic energy development.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 July 2008 )
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