The West. It is our home, yet it is feeling unprecedented pressure from increasing demands for energy,
the impacts of climate change and the rapid growth in our communities. As a result, we're witnessing direct impacts to our Western lands, air quality, and iconic watersheds.
These issues are central to public health and the future of our businesses, and it's important now that business leaders use their influential platform to advocate for stronger environmental and clean energy policies.
Protect The West is a coalition of business leaders working together to solve the most important environmental issues impacting the West.
If you are a business leader willing to use your influence to address the West's most important environmental issues, please join the coalition. We need your leadership to create the most collaborative environmental effort of business voices from across the West.
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As a coalition member, we will provide you with thoughtful and strategic opportunities to engage at the state level, where we can make long-lasting change happen. This new model of corporate engagement provides business leaders with voluntary advocacy opportunities to leverage their influence and drive change.
WRA will provide the coalition members with opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the complex issues, and monthly coalition updates.
WRA’s deep expertise on a broad set of environmental issues and a proven track record of leadership in the region gives partners trusted opportunities to address many of the issues that are important to the West's business community.
Please Join The Protect The West Business Coalition
Our Recent Work
Businesses For Climate Action
We released a set of short PSA's with local business leaders, speaking about climate change's impacts on their businesses.
Accelerating Colorado's Climate Commitment
Colorado's outdoor industry leaders signed a letter to Colorado Governor Jared Polis and the legislature asking for passage of SB 21-200 helping to ensure a clear and measurable path toward achieving ambitious emissions targets for reducing the fossil fuel emissions. Read the letter here.
Op-Ed: Utah’s winter outdoor industry needs more climate action from PacifiCorp
Snowsports Industries America President Nick Sargent penned an op-ed calling on PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power to act more quickly with their transistion to renewable energy in Utah. Read it here.
Utah's Climate Roadmap
To urge the Utah legislature to pass the Utah Climate Roadmap, 22 Utah-based companies sent a letter to Governer Gary Herbert and Utah lawmakers, while an op-ed penned by Solitude Resort and Groupe Rossignol ran in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Op-Ed: Weston Backcountry
Weston Backcountry's CEO penned an op-ed titled "Don't let the government make public lands decisions without us" to fight against chages to the NEPA ruling. Read it here.
Utah's Outdoor Recreation Summit: "Utah At A Climate Crossroads"
Alongside Representative Steve Handy, Snowsports Industries America and Groupe Rossignol, we hosted a discussion about the future of climate action in Utah. Watch the video. Read the news coverage.
Outdoor Retailer Trade Shows/Denver
Protect The West has hosted events at both the Summer and Winter Outdoor Retailer Shows to inform and mobilize the outdoor industry on the West's most pressing environmental issues. Summer OR 2018 Water Event Winter OR 2019: Colorado Sun. Summer OR 2019: The OR Daily. Summer OR 2019: The OR Daily. Winter OR 2020 Panel.
Utah's Air Quality
25 Utah-based businesses joined a letter urging Utah's Air Quality Board to finalize the Serious State Implementation Plan to improve air quality in Salt Lake City and along the Wasatch Front. Read it here.
Credit: James Q Martin
About WRA
For over thirty years, Western Resource Advocates (WRA) has led the conservation community in developing innovative and pragmatic policies that resulted in (among other achievements) closure of coal-fired power plants, leveraging billions of dollars into investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, protection of flows in nine major river systems in the West, and conservation of over two million acres of land in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming from energy development.