What? No Arnold?Western Governor's Association meeting in Deadwood

You haven't seen much about it in the press yet, but 10 of 19 Governors in the Western Governor's Association are meeting in Deadwood as we speak. The Rapid City Journal talks a bit about what's going on at the three day political soiree:

With ten governors in attendance, discussion about enabling clean and efficient energy sources marked the beginning of the 2007 Western Governors Associations' annual meeting in Deadwood on Sunday.

Although the association represents 19 states, only 10 governors are in attendance for the three-day event. Also present are elected officials from Canada.

The meeting's agenda includes topics about maintaining a strong economy and environment, but the most widely discussed topic of the day was integrating clean energy sources such as carbon capturing and sequestration into the state's energy programs.

and...

The governors present included: Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming, Jim Gibbons of Nevada, Dave Heineman of Nebraska, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Jon Huntsman of Utah, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Sarah Palin of Alaska, Bill Ritter of Colorado, Mike Rounds of South Dakota, and Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

Read it all here. What else do you want to know about this event? After I saw that Governor Schwarzenegger wasn't coming, I lost interest. Despite that fact, South Dakota Public Broadcasting is hosting tons of info about this political gathering:

Western Governors’ Association
2007 Annual Meeting
Historic Deadwood, South Dakota
June 10 - 12, 2007
AGENDA

Dress for all events is business casual.
Sunday, June 10
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Historical Main Street
Front of Masonic Temple

Registration and Activity Desks Open 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Plenary I – Carbon Sequestration: Economics and Policies
Enabling Safe, Fast Deployment
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while allowing continued use of one of the West’s most abundant natural resources – coal – for electricity and transportation. The Governors will discuss with panelists the opportunities for and obstacles to large-scale testing and the expedited, safe deployment of CCS. Among the issues to be addressed are: the impact specific public policies could have on investments where CCS is a component; state and federal policies and regulations; and economic costs and benefits. Joining the Governors will be Jonathan Schrag, Executive Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University’s Earth Institute; Gregory McRae, Bayer Professor of Chemical Engineering, MIT; and John Harju, Associate Director for Research, Energy and Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota and Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership.

3:15 – 3:30 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Transitioning to a New Energy Economy: Keynote I –
Financing Renewable Energy Projects
John O’Donnell, President of Ausra Inc, will address the major issues associated with the investment and development of renewable energy projects, including how public policies influence the investment of capital, the significance of tax credits, and the potential for renewable energy sources to become price competitive with other fuels in the long term. Ausra Inc. is a developer of large scale solar electric power parks.

3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Masonic Temple
3rd Floor
Workshop
Several efforts are underway in the West to address greenhouse gases and green energy. Experts from around the region involved in these efforts will describe the latest status and answer questions from the audience.

3:45 -- The Present and Future of Green Power Marketing in the United
States – This presentation will focus on renewable energy credits in the West and Midwest and will also give insights into the current and possible future of renewable energy and other types of credits in the US. Come and listen to the troops in the trenches and find out how renewable energy credits can work for you. Presenters—Blair Swezey, NREL; Brian Rounds, SD PUC; and Anne Marie Cuneo, NV PUC.

4:25 -- The Climate Registry – State representatives will provide an overview of the Climate Registry and answer questions during an informal Q & A session. More than 31 states from across the country are members of the newly formed Climate Registry. The Climate Registry will provide the measurement and reporting infrastructure to support a wide range of state and regional programs designed to manage and reduce GHG emissions. Presenter: Pat Cummins, WGA

4:45 -- Western Regional Climate Action Initiative – Six states (AZ, CA,
NM, OR, UT & WA) and British Columbia are partners in the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative. The partners will establish a regional greenhouse gas reduction goal by August 2007 and by August 2008 will design a regional market-based multi-sector mechanism, such as a loadbased cap and trade program, to help achieve the goal. Presenters – Governors’ staff

7:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Historical Main Street of Deadwood
Reception and Street Fair – All attendees
See the historic streets of Deadwood come alive with an authentic South Dakota street dance featuring a swing and country band. On a night like this, even Wild Bill would trade his boots for dancing shoes! Light food and beverages will be provided.

Okay, just as an aside, who writes this crap? "even Wild Bill would trade his boots for dancing shoes?" Ugh. That might be why Arnold bailed.

Monday, June 11
8:00 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Historical Main Street
Front of Masonic Temple
Registration and Activity Desks Open 9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
Masonic Temple

Governors’ Regional Roundtable and Board of Directors Meeting
The Governors will hear updates on several efforts underway in the region in response to Governors’ policy positions.

Online degree opportunities that integrate coursework from multiple western universities—Robert Mendenhall, President of the Western Governors University

Implementation of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) -- Scott Rayder, Chief of Staff, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Wildland Fire Weather Needs Assessment—Sam Williamson, Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research, U.S. Department of Commerce The Governors will also take action on pending WGA business and adopt new policy resolutions.

10:15 – 10:40 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Transitioning to a New Energy Economy: Keynote II – Where Venture Capital Is Going
Ray Lane, Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

10:40 – 11:00 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Keynote – The Farm Bill
Secretary Mike Johanns, U.S. Department of Agriculture

11:00 – noon
Masonic Temple
Plenary II—The Changing Agricultural Economy
The agricultural industry is in a time of change. It is being impacted by the diversion of some crops (such as corn) for energy and fuel production, climate change impacting the severity of weather events (droughts, floods, freezes), a new Farm Bill being written in Congress and ongoing international negotiations on farm subsidies and trade agreements. This session will examine the altering landscape and opportunities for farmers and ranchers in the region. The Governors will be joined by Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns, U.S. Trade Representative Deputy Ambassador Karan Bhatia and Bill Even, South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture.

12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Transportation Departs to Comfort Inn for Lunch 11:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Comfort Inn Patio
Lunch at Comfort Inn Patio – All Attendees

1:45 - 2:15 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Keynote – Immigration and International Travel
Stewart A. Baker, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Policy, will join the Governors to discuss immigration and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

2:15 – 2:45 p.m.
Masonic Temple
Transitioning to a New Energy Economy: Keynote III – The Grid
Suedeen Kelly, Commissioner of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will highlight how FERC plans to assure the integration of electricity produced from renewables and clean coal into the grid and enable the integration of demand response into the wholesale sales marketplace.

5:30 – 5:45 p.m. Transportation for Reception and Gala Dinner at Mount
Hampton Inn and Comfort Inn Rushmore

6:30 – 10:00 p.m. Reception and Gala Dinner at Mount Rushmore

10:00 – 10:30 p.m. Transportation Departs to Deadwood

Tuesday, June 12
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Silverado - Club House
Breakfast

9:15 – 10:30 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Plenary III – Coping with Climate Change
According to the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, human-caused warming and sea level rise will continue for centuries, “even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized.” What changes in climate are projected from this warming, particularly in the Western region? What associated impacts can be anticipated, and what can we do to prepare for, and adapt to, these impacts? This session will focus on the expected impacts on nature (water resources, wildlife habitat, flooding and wildfires) and on Western industries (recreation, agriculture, forestry and energy). Joining the Governors for this discussion are: Christopher Field, Director of the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington; Peter Kareiva, Chief Scientist with The Nature Conservancy; and Bradley Udall Director, NOAA University Of Colorado Western Water Assessment.

10:30 – 10:40 a.m.
Masonic Temple
Presentation of Chairman’s Gavel and Gift
Outgoing WGA Chairman, Governor Mike Rounds, will present the gavel to the newly elected chairman who will give brief remarks.

And for those of you wanting to watch live, check out the webcasts as hosted by SDPTV.