Partnership for the West

Partnership for the West Coalition, also known as Partnership for America, is a Colorado-based coalition of mining, logging, ranching and recreational groups created to promote 'multiple-use' polices. This coalition describes itself as a "broad-based alliance of people who support public policies that seek to restore a common sense balance between economic growth and environmental conservation."

The founder and senior advisor of Partnership for the West 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 Partnership shares the same mailing address with several of Sims' other groups, including NextGen Energy Council, the Western Business Roundtable and Americans for American Energy.

Personnel
The staff of Partnership for the West includes:
 * Paul Poister, Executive Vice President: Poister also works for the Western Business Roundtable. He has previously worked for Rocky Mountains region PR firm, JohnstonWells.
 * Holly Propst, Director of Public Policy: Propst is also a Commissioner of the Colorado State Land Board. Between 1990 and 1998 she worked as Chief of Staff to then-Representative Dan Schaefer of Colorado, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
 * Jim Sims, now the Senior Advisor for the organization: In 2001 he was Director of Communications for the National Energy Policy Development Group in the White House and now "also heads the Western Business Roundtable organization. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for the New American Century and the Center for the New West, both non-profit public policy think tanks. He also is President of Policy Communications, Inc., a full service public affairs / lobbying firm headquartered in Golden, Colorado".
 * Buford Rice, Agriculture Advisor: Rice worked with the Colorado Farm Bureau between 1976 and 1999 when he retired.
 * Pam Ortiz, Director of Operations: Ortiz worked "in the government affairs and corporate communications departments of Xcel Energy', according to the PFTW website.
 * Tim Stewart, Washington, D.C. Representative: Stewart is President of Government Matters, a Washington D.C.-based public affairs lobbying company. He has previously worked as Majority Chief of Staff on the House Committee on Resources and prior to that was a Legislative Assistant to Utah Republican Senator Robert F. Bennett. Prior to that he worked for the Fannie Mae Corporation.

The Partnership for the West also lists, on their IRS 990 form, Jim Sims as the Executive Vice President. The organization's board members include:
 * Jim Magana
 * Mac McLennan
 * Marc Kelley
 * Bill Kovacs
 * Jeff Comstock.

Key staff including Jim Sims, Paul Poister, and Holly Propst, are also involved in running the Western Business Roundtable and the PR/Lobbying company, Policy Communications, Inc.

Funding
Partnership for the West reported $290,000 in funding in 2007 with the vast majority, $215,000, coming from "direct public support." Their main expenditures in the same year went to "program services," which included: "letters to policy makers, multimedia educational programs, press releases and other documents" as well as "research conducted on public policy...[and] advocacy at the state and federal levels."

History
Publicly announced in October 2003 the Partnership for the West (PFTW) proclaims that it "promotes economic growth, job creation and prosperity" by providing its members "with a powerful array of tools and strategies they use in concert with other Partnership members to educate and influence elected officials, the news media and the general public". 

PFTW proposes to act as a support and training group for its member groups "to help them organize and activate their employees, suppliers and allies in grassroots advocacy campaigns" as well as "giving associations and other groups access to sophisticated electronic tools that can be used in grassroots lobbying campaigns".

PFTW states its core issues include increased access to public lands for "responsible energy development, agricultural use, recreational access, responsible forest management, and others", "common sense regulatory reform", "environmentally sound energy development" and "effective management of water resources."

PFTW explain that they were formed to counter the "growing influence of a small but vocal minority of the West that works to undermine economic growth and prosperity because they believe these things occur only at the expense of the environment."

Affiliated Organisations
On its website the Partnership disclose both its "organizational partners"  (as of November 9, 2003) as including:


 * Alliance for America
 * AMA DIST. # 36
 * America Chamber of Commerce
 * American Chemistry Council
 * American Gas Association
 * American Land Rights Association
 * American Loggers Council
 * American Road & Transportation Builders Association
 * AngloGold North America Inc.
 * Arch Coal
 * Battlement Mesa Company
 * Bennion Ranch
 * Bill Barrett Corp.
 * BlueRibbon Coalition
 * Bowen's Hideout
 * Bybee Printed Circuit Design
 * CaseCo, L.L.C.
 * Citizens Advocating Local Control of OUR Forests
 * Citizens Against Recreational Eviction-USA
 * Clark County Chamber of Commerce
 * CLUB 20
 * Coldwell Banker Commercial
 * Colorado Farm Bureau
 * Colorado Oil & Gas Association
 * Colorado Snowmobile Association
 * Colorado Wool Growers Association
 * ComNett Internet
 * Coos Bay Fab. & Mach. Inc.
 * Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company
 * CROWS
 * Dahl Environmental Services LLC
 * Desert Inviroment
 * Easley Associates
 * EnCana Oil & Gas
 * Environmental Community Outreach Services
 * Evergreen Resources, Inc.
 * Forest Oil Company
 * Freedom for America League
 * Friends of Mat-Su
 * Friends of Sand Moutain
 * Gibbs Associates
 * Grand Valley Tire
 * Great Northern
 * Hardman Distributors
 * Hendricks Consulting
 * Idaho State Snowmobile Association
 * Independent Petroleum Association of America
 * Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States
 * Industrial Energy Consumers of America
 * Intermountain REA
 * Jane Powdrell and Partners/State of New Mexico
 * Julander Energy Company
 * Kasten Ranches
 * Kennecott Energy Company
 * Kinross Gold USA, Inc.
 * Legacy Leadership Center
 * LoneTree Energy, Inc.
 * Montana Petroleum Assoc.
 * Mystery Creek Resources Inc.
 * New Mexico Oil & Gas Association
 * New Times
 * Northwest Mining Association
 * Off-Road Business Association
 * Peabody Energy
 * Petroleum Association of Wyoming
 * Piceance Natural Gas, INc.
 * Prima Energy
 * Prospecting and Mining Journal
 * R.A. Miller, R.G.
 * RA Kreig & Associates
 * Ronald K.Christensen, Attorney at Law/Civil Engineer
 * Solutions
 * Sterling Construction Company
 * T.I.M.B.E.R
 * Teton Oil & Gas Corporation
 * The Annapolis Institute
 * The Center for Energy and Economic Development
 * The Colorado Nanotechnology Initiative
 * The Klamath Bucket Brigade
 * The Sierra Times
 * The Spearman Company
 * The Wyoming Group, LLC
 * Tipperary Corporation
 * Tom Brown Inc.
 * U.S. Chamber of Commerce
 * Waldo Mining District
 * Warrior's Society Mountain Bike Club
 * Weber Sustainability Consulting
 * Western Business Roundtable
 * Western Gas Resources, Inc.
 * Western Mining Council
 * White Eagle Exploration, Inc.
 * Williams
 * Wyoming Mining Association
 * Wyoming Stock Growers Association
 * Yampa Valley Partners

It also discloses on its website - but not included above - a list of individuals including many with their organisational affiliation.

Contact Information
Partnership for the West 200 Union Boulevard Suite 105 Lakewood, CO 80228 303-278-4666 303-496-0334 fax

Washington D.C. Office 444 N. Capitol Street Washington, D.C. 20001 202-220-1331 202-220-1333 fax

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Americans for American Energy
 * Jim Sims
 * Policy Communications

External articles
Bill Berkowitz, "Sheep's Clothing", "Tom Paine" November 3, 2003