Western governors mull climate change

JACKSON, Wyo., July 1 (UPI) -- Governors from the Western United States, holding their annual meeting this week, say climate change is a key issue.

Even conservative governors say that they have accepted that global warming is under way, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter of Idaho said that he has no question about that -- although he is unsure how much human actions can influence its course.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is succeeding Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal as chairman of the Western Governors Association.

"It's part of the discussion on every issue people are talking about," Freudenthal said of climate change. "Much of the political judgment is over. The political judgment is you've got to consider this factor in everything you do."

Huntsman was to lead a discussion Tuesday on what states can do to reduce greenhouse gases and how Western states can lobby the federal government to take their climate change concerns seriously.