Pacific Coast governments form collaboration

JACKSON HOLE, WYO.
July 1, 2008 12:02am

California is joining with the governments of Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska in a regional collaboration to offer a unified voice on issues pacing the West Coast.

The agreement establishing the Pacific Coast Collaborative was announced Monday in Jackson Hole, Wyo., by British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

"One state alone cannot solve the fight against climate change, or protect our entire ocean, or clean the air we all share -- but together, we have the tremendous power to protect our environment," says Mr. Schwarzenegger.

"The Pacific Coast Collaborative builds on the consensus among B.C. and other coastal jurisdictions on climate change to create engagement among leaders for cooperative action on critical issues facing the region," says Mr. Campbell. "Together, Alaska, B.C., California, Oregon, and Washington represent more than 95,500 kilometers of coastline, and we share common concerns and ideas for action and a network of connections between us. This is the first agreement that brings the Pacific leaders together as a common front to set a co-operative direction into the Pacific century."

The Pacific Coast Collaborative will meet at least once a year. The meetings are expected to be a forum for information sharing and create the opportunity for collaborative action by several or all of the members together.

Agreements signed to take action on climate change in 2007 between B.C. and California, Washington and Oregon have the foundation for the addition collaboration between the jurisdictions.