Western Business Roundtable

The Western Business Roundtable is a "unique organization comprised of CEOs and senior executives of organizations doing business in the Western United States." Their main objective is to "work for a common sense, balanced approach to economic development and environmental conservation" and to "support public policies that encourage economic growth, opportunity and freedom of enterprise." The Western Business Roundtable works on a variety of issues including "economic development, environmental protection, regulatory reform, energy policy, public lands use, waste management, and air and water quality."

The Roundtable's founder, president, and CEO is Jim Sims, a Colorado-based PR professional with the firm Policy Communications, who has overseen the development of a series of coalitions and front groups arguing for policies beneficial to the energy industry. The Council shares the same mailing address with several of Sims' other groups, including Partnership for America, NextGen Energy Council and Americans for American Energy.

Personnel
The Western Business Roundtable is led by both a group of professional staff and organizations. Their professional staff includes:


 * Jim Sims, President and CEO
 * Britt Weygandt, Executive Director
 * Holly Propst, Director of Policy
 * Darrell Henry, Director of Federal Government Affairs
 * Paul Poister, Public Policy Specialist
 * Cody Stewart, Washington, D.C. Representative

Their organizational leadership team is made up individuals from member organizations who are appointed as Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary/Treasurer as well as a group of organizations that forms the Board of Trustees.


 * Jim Pearce, Chairman from FMC Corporation
 * Todd Ennenga, Vice Chairman from Devon Energy Corporation
 * Greg Schaefer, Secretary/Treasurer from Arch Coal, Inc.

Board of Trustees:


 * Arch Coal, Inc.
 * Basin Electric Power Cooperative
 * Black Hills Corporation
 * El Paso Corporation
 * Evergreen Energy, Inc.
 * FMC Corporation
 * MDU Resources, Inc.
 * Peabody Energy
 * Pinnacle West Corporation
 * Pioneer Natural Resources USA
 * Questar Market Resources, Inc.
 * Rio Tinto
 * Salt River Project
 * Shell Exploration and Production Co.
 * Tri-State Generation & Transmission Assn.

Funding
The Western Business Roundtable reported total revenues of $720,675 in 2007, with the vast majority of their funding, $606,500, attained through membership fees. The other $114,175 of their total came from program service revenues. Their expenditures totaled $714,095, with most of their expenses, $423,321, going to pay consultants, and another hefty sum, $147,731, going to conferences, conventions, and meetings.

Current Initiatives
On their website, the Western Business Roundtable lists five main policy areas in which they are particularly active: energy security, mineral security, public lands access, clean water, and clean air.


 * Energy Security: supports upgrading electrical grids nationwide, protecting hydropower customers from increased costs of power, and the enactment of tax credits for CO2 sequestration, and opposes listing of the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
 * Mineral Security: supports the implementation of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed rule to push back increased regulation of hardrock surface mining in the Southwest, and opposes the expansion of the Clean Water Act.
 * Public Lands Access: opposes federal land grabs, including land preservation efforts being proposed under the ESA and the Wilderness Protection Act.
 * Clean Water: opposes the expansion of the CWA and supports the development of hydropower energy.
 * Clean Air: supports tax credits for CO2 sequestration and opposes increased authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate GHG emissions.

Contact Information
Colorado Office 200 Union Boulevard, Suite 105 Lakewood, CO 80228 phone: 303-216-WBRT (9278) fax: 303-496-0334 info@westernroundtable.com

Washington, D.C. Office 444 N. Capitol St., Suite 216 Washington, D.C. 20001 202-220-1331

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Americans for American Energy
 * Jim Sims
 * Policy Communications