Out West (Presented by the Western Governors’ Association)

Out West (#22): Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative Special Report with Oregon Governor Kate Brown

The Chair's Initiative of Oregon Governor Kate Brown sought to achieve an expanded regional agreement on electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the West to bolster current economies and create a roadmap to the future. Gov. Brown discusses outcomes of the Initiative contained in the Special Report on its work with WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss.

“Out West (#21): Electric Vehicles and Economic Development Opportunities

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more common, but a lack of charging infrastructure – especially in rural areas – continues to be a barrier to adoption. This Out West episode highlights how everyone from cities to manufacturers can generate significant economic opportunities by developing a robust charging network. Listen as WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss speaks with Scott Bricker of Destination Development at Travel Oregon, and Jim Chen of Rivian.

Out West (#20): Invasive Species Data Collection and Coordination

Invasive species are a complex and costly issue throughout the West. To properly address the issue, it’s imperative that the various states, agencies and stakeholders working on it have access to accurate data. This episode features an interview with Annie Simpson, a data coordinator for the Biofoundational Data Team in the Science Analytics & Synthesis Program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She details both the importance and the difficulties in accumulating quality data for such a vast number of species and organizing that data into a database that can be used by several different agencies.  

Out West (#19): Electric Vehicle Research and Innovation

Electric vehicle (EV) technology is advancing rapidly. Innovations in battery technology, infrastructure modeling analysis, and fleet charging and fueling systems are enabling more diverse and lower-cost uses of EV cars, trucks, and buses. This episode, the second in a series for the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, highlights researchers and companies working at the forefront of EV technologies in the West. Listen as WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss speaks with: Alex Keros, Lead Architect for EV Infrastructure at GM; Kim Okafor, Strategic Business Development Manager, Trillium; Eric Wood, Research Engineer, Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences, National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Out West (#18): Get to Know the Western Governors’ Foundation: Governors Dennis Daugaard, Steve Bullock, David Ige

The Western Governors' Foundation leverages the collective influence of former and current Western Governors to promote the welfare of the West. In this episode of Out West, WGA Executive Director Jim Ogsbury discusses the impetus behind the creation of the Foundation with current board Chair Dennis Daugaard, the former Governor of South Dakota, and two of the Foundation’s sitting directors, Steve Bullock, the former Governor of Montana, and David Ige, the Governor of Hawaii. The group also highlights the merits of the Foundation’s regional art competition, Celebrate the West, and the Foundation’s new initiative, the Western Governors’ Leadership Institute.

Out West (#17): Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative, EVs in Rural Areas

Electric Vehicles in Rural Areas is the first episode in a series for the Electric Vehicles Roadmap Initiative of Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, which is focused on enhanced planning, siting and coordination of electric vehicle (EVs) infrastructure in the West. Consumer ownership of EVs is expanding across the West, but rural citizens face particular challenges with owning and operating the vehicles. Listen as WGA Policy Advisor Kevin Moss speaks with Alliy Sahagun, the Member Relations Supervisor at the Gunnison (CO) County Electric Association, and Roger Hoy, the Director of the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, about barriers, as well as solutions, to more ubiquitous adoption of electric vehicles in rural areas, including rural industries such as farming and ranching.

Out West (#16): Invasive Species Data: Conservation Districts

Invasive Species Data: Conservation Districts highlights the importance of invasive species data for conservation districts. The episode of Out West is the first in a series for WGA's Invasive Species Data Mobilization Campaign, which encourages land managers, landowners, conservation groups, and NGOs to standardize and share invasive species data in the West. Bill Whitacre, Senior Policy Advisor at WGA, speaks with Keith Owen, the South Central Region representative for the National Association of Conservation Districts, about the impact of invasive species on the work of conservation districts and why it is important to share invasive species data.

Out West (#15): An Inclusive Economic Recovery for All Americans

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people with disabilities and changed the work landscape in ways that present challenges and opportunities for disability employment. WGA Policy Associate Lauren Cloward speaks with Andrew Houtenville, Research Director of the University of New Hampshire’s Institute on Disability, and Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disabiity:IN, about how the pandemic has affected the workforce and ways to ensure an inclusive economic recovery for all Americans. 

Learn more about SEED’s ongoing work on disability employment by visiting its website.

Out West (#14): Technology for an Inclusive Workforce

Technologies with universal design and assistive technologies have increased opportunities for workers with disabilities and revolutionized everything from office to factory work. To learn more about some of these exciting developments and how their adoption can be accelerated through policy, WGA Policy Associate Lauren Cloward spoke with Aaron Bangor, Director of Compliance at AT&T and Chair of the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities.

Learn more about SEED’s ongoing work on disability employment by visiting their website.

Produced by: Tyler Losier

Out West (#13): Reintroducing Natural Fire in Western Landscapes

Bill Whitacre, WGA Senior Policy Advisor, leads a conversation about the ways that fire can be used to restore western lands, as well as barriers to its expanded use. He speaks with Ron Goode, Tribal Leader of the North Fork Mono; Lenya Quinn-Davidson, Director of the Northern California Prescribed Fire Council; and Laura McCarthy, the New Mexico State Forester.

Produced by: Tyler Losier