About the
Western Governors’ Association

Who We Are

The Western Governors' Association (WGA) was established in 1984 to represent the Governors of the 22 westernmost states and territories. The association is an instrument of the Governors for bipartisan policy development, information exchange, and collective action on issues of critical importance to the western United States.

---

Our Mission

Western Governors recognize that states are sovereign governments, and that it was the states that came together to form a federal government with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1789. The Tenth Amendment of the Constitution explicitly protects the states’ power and authority, providing that "all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." One of WGA’s most important roles is to protect the interests of western states and territories in their interactions with the federal government through cooperative federalism.

The American West is vast and is comprised of many different landscapes and backgrounds – from dense urban settings to wide-open rural landscapes and everything in between. This diversity leads to a wide range of opinions and viewpoints across the West, which contributes to a rich and varied political dynamic across the states and territories. WGA recognizes that this diversity is an enormous asset in assessing the unique challenges facing the West and seeking common-sense solutions to the problems we face as a region. States and territories are the “laboratories of democracy” under our federal system. As former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis noted: "a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country."

We also recognize that when opposing sides refuse to seek common ground, gridlock is an inevitable result. The polarization of political discourse seems to dominate national politics and contributes to the lack of progress our nation is making on a number of important political – and practical – matters. Western Governors recognize that we agree on far more than we disagree on, and it requires both civility and pragmatism to address shared challenges. WGA facilitates respectful, frank, and free discussion to find that common ground and develop practical, common-sense solutions for the western region and the nation.

---

What We Do

Bipartisan policy development

WGA brings together the Governors to formulate bipartisan, consensus-based policy positions, which are found in WGA’s policy resolutions. Policy resolutions are adopted by Western Governors on a semiannual basis and form the foundation of WGA’s daily work and advocacy efforts. At present, Western Governors have 29 active policy resolutions covering a diverse range of subjects, from health care and housing to land management and disaster preparedness and response.

Information exchange

WGA provides an effective platform for Governors to discuss regional challenges and opportunities, share ideas, and examine issues of common interest. The Governors meet under the auspices of WGA throughout the year. WGA also provides other avenues for Governor-led policy discussions, including through workshops to advance the WGA Chair’s signature policy initiative and other policy-focused meetings.

WGA also convenes the Governors’ staff on a regular basis to promote awareness of regional issues and developments, provide a forum for Governors’ offices to discuss issues of mutual concern, and direct WGA in its advocacy efforts. Recognizing that unbiased and up-to-date data and analysis forms the foundation of sound policy, WGA also provides policy analysis, issue briefs, and other research products to inform Governors’ decision making.

Collective action

WGA actively promotes the positions, priorities, and accomplishments of Western Governors through a variety of mechanisms and media. Western Governors’ collective policy serves as the basis for WGA’s engagement with Congress and the Administration. This may take the form of formal correspondence, congressional testimony, and comments on rulemakings and other proposals from the Administration. WGA also conducts a wide range of informal communication with congressional staff and agency officials, and facilitates conversations between states and federal agencies on issues of mutual interest.

---

A Brief History

Western Governors have long recognized the power of speaking with a unified voice on issues affecting western states and territories. One of the first recorded instances was in 1891, when the Governors of 24 states and territories west of the Mississippi River appointed delegates to the Trans-Mississippi Congress, which convened in Denver, Colorado. In 1910, Western Governors from eight states agreed to present a united front on regional challenges at the National Conservation Congress in St. Paul, Minnesota.

1912 witnessed the first annual meeting of Western Governors in Boise, Idaho, with 14 Governors attending. Similar gatherings were held over the next three years in Salt Lake City, Denver, and Seattle. The Western Governors Conference was formally created in 1947 under the umbrella of the Council of State Governments and met regularly for the next 35 years. In 1977, Western Governors formed the Western Governors’ Policy Office to specifically address the development of energy projects in the West.

WGA was formed in 1984, when the Western Governors Conference and the Western Governors’ Policy Office were combined to establish a single entity headquartered in Denver. Since that time, WGA has regularly brought Western Governors together to consider issues of mutual concern, and advocated for their common interests in Washington, D.C. In 2024, WGA celebrated its 40th Anniversary in Olympic Valley, California, through a series of discussions with current and former Governors, along with staff – both past and present – to highlight the organization’s rich history as a fiercely bipartisan organization serving the West.

---