Continuing Federal Outreach

PNWER CEO, Matt Morrison, recently represented PNWER in Washington, D.C. at the ​111th Annual Winter Meeting of the National Governors Association (NGA) as well as in meetings with Congressional leaders and agencies. Key issues to the PNWER region like USMCA, tariffs, and aquatic invasive species were discussed. Keep reading below for an overview of PNWER’s meetings.

NGA Chair, Governor Steve Bullock of Montana, at the 111th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Canadian Premiers for Removal
​of Section 232 Tariffs

L to R: Premier Scott Moe, SK; Premier Blaine Higgs, NB; and Premier Doug Ford, ON

The importance of the U.S.-Canada relationship was a major focus at the ​​National Governors Association's Annual Meeting held in Washington, D.C. in February. Several events were held over the weekend that highlighted the need for and benefits of a strong cross-border relationship.

A breakfast roundtable provided the  Canadian Premiers ​Scott Moe of Saskatchewan,  Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick, and Doug Ford of Ontario the opportunity to offer their perspectives on the ratification of USMCA and the elimination of the Section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs that are currently being imposed.  Most notably, Premier Moe gave a moving testimony of the instability the current tariffs are bringing to the region and how integrated the economies of Canada and the U.S. are, particularly the agriculture economies along the border. He explained that, for these reasons, it is so important that the USMCA be ratified as soon as possible, and that the tariffs be lifted.  Ambassador David Wilkins hosted the roundtable. Ambassador Wilkins will be speaking on the Canada-U.S. relationship at the PNWER Annual Summit in Saskatoon in July. 

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Premier Scott Moe (SK) speaks during a roundtable with Premiers and Governors on USMCA

​A second key event was a roundtable organized by Governor Steve Bullock of Montana, the 2018-2019 Chair of the NGA, with the Premiers and ten U.S. Governors. This roundtable allowed the Premiers of Canada to speak directly to their U.S. counterparts on the issues of trade and tariffs and dialogue on the impacts to their constituents. 
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Lastly, the NGA hosted federal leaders from the U.S. and Canada who spoke about the next steps for ratification of USMCA. One key takeaway from this session was the assertion that the Canadian Parliament has only three months left in its 2019 sitting and is unlikely to take up ratification unless                                                                                                                  Section 232 tariffs are lifted. 

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Ambassador David MacNaughton at the 2019 NGA Annual Meeting

Washington Governor Jay Inslee at the 2019 NGA Annual Meeting

​The USMCA and tariff discussion will be a featured issue during the 2019 PNWER Annual Summit in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, this July 21-25. Hear from policy experts, legislators, and others during keynotes, panels, and sessions that highlight this important cross-border issue.  Join us in Saskatoon in July. More details HERE

Congressional Outreach for USMCA & Tariffs

Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR) and Representative Richard Neal (MA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee

PNWER prepared and delivered letters to all of the region’s congressional delegation strongly urging them to ratify USMCA and to encourage the Trump administration to remove the steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico. These letters reiterated the importance of free, fair, and open trade for the mutual benefit of the three economies. They also mentioned the resolutions that are being introduced in the five Northwest state legislatures calling for the same. Resolutions from the Northwest states are being considered in the legislatures in the coming weeks.

Two of the key congressmen for the USMCA ratification process are in our region. They are Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, who serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Trade. Both have an important role in trade policy for Congress. 
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PNWER met with key staff in Senator Crapo’s office to discuss the importance of USMCA ratification and the repeal of Section 232 tariffs. Senator Crapo’s staff expressed interest in establishing an ongoing relationship with PNWER. He would like to be kept apprised of the state joint resolutions mentioned above and also any data on impacts in the Pacific Northwest of tariffs, whether from Canada and Mexico or from China.
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​Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer's office also met with PNWER to speak about USMCA ratification and Section 232 tariffs. It was a wonderful opportunity for PNWER to provide input to the congressional staff on the Pacific Northwest's regional concerns        with the continued instability on North American trade. PNWER is                                                                                                 looking forward to working with the Representative's office as                                                                                                       USMCA ratification comes up in the coming weeks. ​

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Advocacy for Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) prevention: Invasive Mussel Funding

Continuing PNWER’s ongoing work on the issue of invasive species, Matt met with PNWER's regional Congressional delegation’s Appropriations committee members to ensure the continued appropriation of federal matching funds to the four Northwest states (ID, MT, OR, and WA) for watercraft inspection stations and monitoring to combat invasive mussels. PNWER has helped to bring $21 million of federal funds to the region since 2015 for invasive mussel prevention in the Columbia River Basin. This year, reauthorization language has expanded to allow for funding in three new river basins and up to a dozen more states. Matt advocated on the behalf of the PNWER region to ensure that the same level of funding would continue for the four Northwest states, and not be diluted by the addition of the new river basins.

For the upcoming year, PNWER submitted requests to each of the House and Senate appropriators in the region for the continued appropriation of $6 million to the four Northwest states. Meetings with Congressional appropriators included staff from the following offices:

• Senator Steve Daines, MT
• Representative Jaime Herrera-Beutler, WA 
• Representative Derek Kilmer, WA
• Senator Patty Murray, WA
• Representative Dan Newhouse, WA
• Representative Mike Simpson, ID

The issue of invasive mussels is a key topic for PNWER's Invasive Species Working Group. The Invasive Species Working Group will be holding a session at the Annual Summit to discuss this and other topics that are vital to the protection of the region's waterways and industry.  ​

Agency Meetings with Western
​Governors Association

The Western Governors Association (WGA)) invited Matt Morrison on behalf of PNWER to participate in a series of meetings with administration officials while he was in Washington, D.C. He attended the following meetings with the WGA. 

U.S. Department of the Interior: The WGA and PNWER met with officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior to discuss mandatory watercraft inspections for invasive mussels in Lake Mead and Lake Havasu in Arizona. Matt explained that under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) the Army Corps of Engineers program has been expanded to four more river basins. 

U.S. Department of Energy: At the Department of Energy, a number of issues were discussed including Western energy corridors as well as fossil fuels and carbon capture and storage (CCS).  Matt also briefed the DOE on PNWER's Legislative Energy Horizon Institute (LEHI) program, which DOE has funded since 2009.

U.S. Department of Transportation: The WGA and PNWER met with Finch Fulton, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy. He has a particular interest in Autonomous, Connected, Electric, and Shared (ACES) vehicles which will be a key topic at PNWER’s Economic Leadership Forum in Seattle in November.  Mr. Fulton was also interested in PNWER’s engagement in Section 1441 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST Act as the DOT is working on reauthorization of the act for 2020.  

Lastly, Matt and key members of the WGA staff met with the Legislative Director for Senator Chuck Schumer as well as 3 additional staff during which they spoke about how to improve the relationship of the federal government to the state governments. 

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Looking Forward

PNWER is committed to continuing federal advocacy for the region on these key issues and many more. Currently, PNWER is focusing particularly on the ratification of USMCA and the removal of Section 232 tariffs and retaliatory tariffs. To see PNWER's work on this issue, visit our ​​​NAFTA Modernization/USMCA Ratification page. 

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Matt Morrison, PNWER CEO, and Premier Scott Moe of Saskatchewan

Join PNWER and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in Saskatoon for the 2019 Annual Summit on July 21-25, 2019!

Summit Website