At the WGA Annual Meeting in Jackson
Hole, Wyoming last June, the governors adopted policy resolution
99-013, "Principles for Environmental Management in the West" that
updated and refined the Enlibra doctrine to reflect the views of
western stakeholders represented on WGA’s Enlibra Advisory
Committee.
Recommendations of the Advisory and Steering
Committees
As directed by the resolution, WGA convened its Enlibra advisors
and the governors’ representatives to the Enlibra Steering Committee
in Estes Park, Colorado in September to discuss how to promote the
doctrine, and to engage and evaluate appropriate projects that seek
to advance its principles. The Estes Park meeting participants made
the following recommendations:
Develop an Enlibra Communications Strategy In order to
reach the greatest number of persons, institutions and governments
with a consistent and powerful message, an integrated and
comprehensive strategy should be created. The strategy should
include a recognition/awards program; media outreach; an Enlibra
Web site; an Enlibra bulletin board; a speaker’s bureau; and, a
second Enlibra Summit. A working group of advisors and steering
committee members then assisted in developing the attached draft
strategy.
Publish a Resource Guide Emphasizing Best Practices/Case
Studies/Lessons-Learned In order to provide a central
location for information on Enlibra-type resources, finalize and
expand a draft resource compendium reviewed in Estes Park to
include the broadest array of technical, financial and educational
resources. The resource guide would include a ‘Best Practices’
section to showcase Enlibra-type projects through descriptions and
contact information. WGA has completed the resource guide, will
post it on the Web site shortly and will update it frequently. WGA
is developing a template/procedure for case study
submissions.
Establish an Enlibra Resource Fund To make resources
available to Enlibra-type projects for varied activities such as
facilitators, public relations assistance, independent scientific
assessment and peer review, monitoring and evaluation, and other
technical assistance, WGA should establish a fund administered
through the Western Governors’ Foundation possibly in partnership
with other institutions such as universities. WGA will soon
commence fund raising efforts from a variety of sources.
Enhance Support for State Implementation Explore the
range of options available to governors to implement Enlibra in
their states with the aim to increase Enlibra activities across
the West. Seek lessons from governors that are already
implementing Enlibra-type activities in their states. Possible
tools to be used by the governors could include Executive Orders,
State-Wide Enlibra Coordinators, State Enlibra Ambassadors or
Community Circuit Riders; and regular Enlibra dialogues with
agency directors.
Recent Enlibra Activities in the West
On October 6, 1999, Governor Gary Johnson signed Executive
Order 99-33 directing New Mexico’s Environmental and Natural
Resources agencies to review the Enlibra principles and incorporate
them into the agencies’ environmental policy making. The Executive
Order also encourages other governments and interest groups in New
Mexico to review and adopt the Enlibra principles.
On October 25-27, the first New Mexico Water Summit opened a
forum for a new way to address the question - How does the state
make wise water-management decisions? The Water Summit introduced
the Enlibra principles to nearly 200 persons. The goal of the Water
Summit was to engage people in using the Enlibra principles in the
hope that people will carry the principles back to their
communities, talk about them, and use them in their decision-making.
It is hoped that in the future Enlibra will provide a means for
making faster and better water-planning decisions, while developing
a longer-term vision and establishing better dealings in water
resource management.
On October 27, 13 Western governors signed a letter
to EPA Administrator Carol Browner urging her to adopt the Western
Regional Air Partnership's recommendation affecting small
refineries. The governors cited the recommendation as an example of
the Enlibra principles at work. Through a collaborative stakeholder
process which included representatives from the refinery industry,
automobile manufacturers, environmental groups, tribes and states,
the WRAP developed a consensus recommendation. It supports the
proposed rule's national standard for sulfur in gasoline, provided
that the WRAP's new definition for small refineries is adopted along
with a phased-in schedule for meeting the EPA standard.
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