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— PacificNorthWest Economic Region —

ITD delegates discuss economic development at regional workshop

Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter identified economic recovery and growth as his highest priority during his present term. His goal is to position Idaho to lead the region’s economic recovery and grow the state’s gross domestic product to $60 billion annually.

State legislators and other leaders – including those from ITD – carried that message to the 2012 Economic Leadership Forum in Coeur d’Alene recently. The four-day Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) workshop attracted more than 120 participants to the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

“As a PNWER member, Idaho is committed to enhancing opportunities with our western neighbors,” Otter wrote in his conference welcome. “This is the goal of the new PNWER Idaho Council which I hope becomes a model for other states and provinces to emulate. This new organization will help build and improve partnerships throughout the Pacific Northwest and contribute to economic growth.”

PNWER was created by statutes in 1991 by the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta also joined the organization.

The organization’s mission is to:

Increase the economic well-being and quality of life for all citizens of the region
Coordinate provincial and state policies throughout the region
Identify and promote “models of success;” and
Serve as a conduit to exchange information

PNWER has 15 working groups, including transportation.

Goals include greater regional collaboration, enhanced competitiveness of the region in domestic and international markets, leveraged regional influence in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa, Canada; and continued economic growth while maintaining the region’s natural resources.

Among ITD’s delegates were: Idaho Transportation Board chairman Jerry Whitehead, Chief Deputy Scott Stokes, Governmental Affairs Manager Mollie McCarty and Maureen Gresham of the Division of Transportation Performance.

Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little presented the key address at the opening plenary session Nov. 15. Other Idaho delegates to the annual forum included:

U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)
Rep. Eric Anderson participated in the Invasive Species session
Rep. George Eskridge and Sen. Curt McKenzie, co-chairs of the Idaho, Energy, Environment & Technology interim committee
Ricia Lasso, regional business specialist with the Idaho Department of Labor

Gresham spoke about Idaho’s ongoing freight study and updates to the state’s 1996 Freight and Passenger Rail Plan during a three-hour breakout session on transportation. She discussed removal of critical rail bottlenecks as a way to increase commodity shipping in the region and expanding passenger rail.

Sen. McKenzie and Bruce Agnew, director of the Cascadia Center, chair the transportation working group.