Today, President Obama met with a bipartisan group of western Governors to talk about a variety of issues facing their states, including the increasing frequency and severity of drought, wildfire, and other extreme weather events. The President reiterated the Administration’s commitment to aid preparedness for, response to, and recovery from these natural disasters. He also pledged to continue to provide support for the Governors as they work through the many complex issues related to water use and drought in their states. As part of that commitment, the President detailed a new approach he will propose in his upcoming budget that fundamentally changes how we fund wildfire suppression to provide for better certainty, safeguards, and effectiveness.
The President and his advisors discussed the latest science on how a changing climate is contributing to extreme weather and outlined the progress that’s been made on his Climate Action Plan, which includes strategies to work with states to strengthen community preparedness for extreme weather and other impacts of climate change. The President stated that he looks forward to continuing to work with all Governors to ensure that this conversation continues for the sake of their states and of future generations of Americans across the country.
The following governors participated in the meeting:
- Governor Brewer of Arizona
- Governor Fallin of Oklahoma
- Governor Herbert of Utah
- Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado
- Governor Kitzhaber of Oregon
- Governor Inslee of Washington
- Governor Mead of Wyoming
- Governor Sandoval of Nevada
The following Administration Officials participated in the meeting:
- Secretary Vilsack, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Secretary Jewell, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Kathryn Sullivan, Acting Administrator of NOAA
- Dr. John Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology
- Michael Boots, Acting Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality
- John Podesta, Counselor to the President
- David Agnew, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs