OCR Text |
Show Governor Welcomes WESTPO Delegates by Scott M. Matheson On behalf of the governors of the eleven state Western Governors' Policy Office, (WESTPO), it is my privilege v to welcome you to Park City and to the Third Annual Meeting 6f WESTPO. , The theme of this year's conference Is the West and' the Eighties, reflecting our recognition that the next decade will have a profound influence on the future of the West. Twice before in our history, over 100 years ago - when government and private priv-ate interest combined to build the first transcontinental transcontinen-tal railroad and 40 years ago when World War II marked the beginning of an unprece-. dented human migration; to the "last frontier" has been shaped by decisions and events beyond our reach. and economic pathologies. , : These massive investments invest-ments will also have profound pro-found implications for the' supply and quality of our scarce water resources, for our air quality, for our -undeveloped transportation systems, for our capital-poor economic base, for our fragile and already ; heavily taxed recreation resources, for agriculture and our rural communities, and for the vitality of our small business sector. For these and other reasons, we are trying to map out the cumulative effects--both positive and negative--of these developments develop-ments on our region. We are trying to develop the policies " and the tools that will permit us to be participants, and not mere bystanders, in the shaping of our region during the next decade. And in our search for appropriate poli- v cies and tools, we are casting, our net as widely as we can-to involve the private sector, other elected offi-. rials, universities and think tanks, civic groups environmentalists, environ-mentalists, and other regions and regional institutions-to ' make sure we have . the . benefit of the wisdom and experience that derive from different perspectives. The sessions planned for this meeting and outlined in the following pages should be considered the first "interim report' of our WEST AND THE EIGHTIES project. We plan to complete the first phase of this effort by January 1981 --in time for the inauguration of the President and the convening of the Ninety-Seventh Congress. Con-gress. We hope you will join us in our efforts to chart a course for the 1980s--one that will serve our nation's security needs for energy and national nation-al defense as well as for food, recreation, and natural wonders. won-ders. The days of the expendable West h?rc passed pass-ed and the expandable West is reaching its limits. Wise choices are needed and sound public policy will require an informed public, searching public leaders, and respectful relations a-mong a-mong levels of government as .we seek to conduct the public's business in a responsible re-sponsible manner. To these ends we are commiting our deliberations during this annual meeting and in the months ahead. Scott M. Matheson DJUtah Today, we stand on the threshold of new challenges to our land and lifestvle.-During lifestvle.-During the next decade, the West will be central to the nation's energy and security needs.- The mining of vast deposits of coal, uranium, and oil shale: the develop-. ment of synthetic fuels; the possible deployment of the MX missile: energy farming; and production from recent discoveries of new oil and gas deposits in the Over-thrust Over-thrust Belt, are among the ' forces that will shape the future of the West and the nation for years to come. , In the face of these and other challenges, the WESTPO WEST-PO governors are seeking to design an affirmitive action plan that can accommodate the substantial public works, energy development, and national security investments invest-ments that are likely to be made in the West during the next! decade. While these activities will bring many benefits to our region and our people, they , also pose threats in the form of boom towns; boom-bust cycles; labt shortages; sky-rocket-ingTpfices; high taxes to pay . forifew sewers, streets, and schopls; disruption of communities; comm-unities; and relatedsocial & . ' |