Transcript: Gov. Schwarzenegger Advancing State's Renewable Energy Development

RANDY GOLDSTEIN:

Good afternoon. I'm Randy Goldstein, CEO of OptiSolar. On behalf of OptiSolar I want to welcome Governor Schwarzenegger to our Sacramento factory.

I'd also like to welcome the other participants in today's press conference: Senator Darrell Steinberg; Assemblyman Paul Krekorian; Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee; Mike Poole, State Director, Bureau of Land Management; John Fielder, President, Southern California Edison; Nancy McFadden, Senior Vice-President of Public Affairs, PG&E; Deborah Reed, President and CEO, San Diego Gas & Electric and SoCalGas; Jim Shetler, Assistant General Manager, Sacramento Municipal Utility District; Felicia Marcus, Western Director, Natural Resources Defense Council; Rebecca Shaw, Associate State Director, The Nature Conservancy; Secretary Mike Chrisman, California Resources Agency.

We'd also like to welcome a few special guests we have with us today: Director Donald Koch, California Department of Fish and Game; Chair Jackalyne Pfannenstiel, California Energy Commission; Darren Bouton, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, Office of the Governor; Commissioner Karen Douglas, California Energy Commission; John Moffatt, Deputy Legislative Secretary, Office of the Governor; and Rick Sayers, Acting Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Left to right: State Director of Bureau of Land Management Mike Poole, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank), Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) and Senator Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento).Photo by Peter Grigsby, Office of the Governor.

Welcome to all of you and thank you for joining us here today. (Applause)

The Governor's leadership, California's renewable portfolio standard and the landmark AB 32 climate change legislation have paved the way for the creation of jobs and a cleaner environment. OptiSolar and other renewable energy companies, many of whom are represented here today, are working with utilities, government, the environmental community and others to help create a clean, renewable energy future.

The commitment to that shared vision is one of the reasons we located our manufacturing operations here in Sacramento. We expect this facility to be North America's largest photovoltaic solar panel plant, producing several hundred megawatts a year. Some of the panels from this factory will be used to build solar farms like the ones you see behind us here, to the largest photovoltaic solar farm in the world that we are developing in San Luis Obispo County, to produce clean, renewable and affordable electricity for PG&E and its customers.

OptiSolar has already created over 500 jobs at our headquarters and first factory in Hayward, California. Our second factory here in Sacramento will add over 1,000 more green jobs to the local economy. Hundreds more will be employed in building our solar farms and thousands more jobs will be created by other companies in this growing industry. Clean power for California, made in California.

Being here today is proof that good policy is good for the environment and for the economy. California is fortunate to be led by a governor whose leadership has put California on the forefront of addressing climate change and increasing the use of renewable energy.

Please join me in welcoming Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause)

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today held a press conference to sign Executive Order S-14-08 which will streamline California's renewable energy project approval process and increase the state's Renewable Energy Standard to 33 percent renewable power by 2020. Photo by Peter Grigsby, Office of the Governor.

Thank you, Randy, for the nice introduction and thank you for letting us be here today at this great facility. I love looking back here at OptiSolar, at the great, great solar panels and to see all the great actions that you are creating here, so thank you very much. And I have to say that I like it when we do these press conferences outside, because you get a tan at the same time. (Laughter) Except it makes you squint. My advance team always makes a squint, because they always point it towards the sun.

But anyway, I'm also so glad that Randy read off all of those different people so I don't have to do that. But I do want to mention some of them, because I think that Secretary Chrisman has been such a great, great hard worker on all of this renewable energy, our new goals, so let's give him a big hand. (Applause)

Then Senator Steinberg, who has been a great, great partner and a great believer in renewable energy, so let's give him also a big hand. (Applause) And Assemblyman Krekorian, also a great, great believer and he is going to work with us on the legislative side. A big hand also to him for his great work. (Applause) And Assemblyman Blakeslee, another great, great believer in the environment, in fighting global warming and in renewable energy. A big hand also to him. (Applause)

Now, today is all about changing our goals and raising the bar - changing our goals from 20 percent of renewables by the year 2010 to 33 percent by the year 2020. California is a world leader in protecting the environment and in fighting global warming and we have done an extraordinary job not only for California but also inspiring other states and other nations to do exactly the same. For instance, with regulation AB 32, Low Carbon Fuel Standards, the Million Solar Roof, or our Renewable Energy Standards, or the Hydrogen Highway, all of those kinds of things have really made a tremendous impact.

But as you all know, that in 2002 Sacramento passed a bill requiring 20 percent of renewables by the 2017. Well, when I came into office I said that was a great beginning but I think we can do better than that and we moved the date back from 2017 to 2010. And we helped, therefore, unleash a wave of innovation. Right now, in fact, our state holds 40 percent of the nation's new patents in solar and in wind technology.

One of the great things about California, of course, is that we always push the envelope. That is why today I'm proposing that we set our sights even higher, as I said earlier, to 33 percent by the year 2020. This will be the most aggressive target in the nation.

Now, it's no secret, of course, that we are struggling to still make our 20 percent by the year 2010 and that's something I will be talking about in a little bit. But it's very important for us to go to 33 percent by the year 2020. Raising the bar is absolutely necessary to reach our greenhouse gas reduction targets under AB 32. In fact, going to 33 percent is included in our AB 32 scoping plan, so that we reach our overall goal of reducing our greenhouse gases by the year 2020 by 25 percent and roll it back to the 1990 level.

And second, a big reason, of course, why we are struggling is not because there is anything out there that is in our way other than government policies. They are the ones that have been slowing down the approval process. The good news is that we can change those policies and fix the system once and for all and this is why, of course, we are here today.

Earlier this year I spoke at a Climate Conference at Yale University and I talked about the various different obstacles that we are facing. I mentioned, for instance, a new geothermal field in Imperial Valley, facing opposition because of new transmission lines, or a new solar farm in Victorville that's being held up because of a squirrel. Now, I love squirrels but they have never seen that squirrel there but they're worried if the squirrel comes in that we'll need some extra property set aside. So it goes a little crazy, the whole thing.

So those are the kind of things that are becoming an obstacle. But the great thing is that environmentalists want to get the renewable energy, we want to get the renewable energy. All of us Californians want to get more renewable energy and this is why we're all going to work together. But it's just one of those unfortunate things that the environmental regulations were holding up environmental progress. This was, of course, crazy.

And now I promise you that we will continue with the action and today we are following through with that promise. In a few minutes I will be signing and executive order right over here to clear the red tape for renewable projects like solar, wind and geothermal. We will streamline the permitting process and the siting of new plants and transmission lines. We will complete the environmental work up front, dramatically reducing the time and the uncertainty normally associated with any of those projects.

And we also need improved coordination between the state and the federal agencies, so we have representatives here today from the California Department of Fish and Game and the Energy Commission, right along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management. All of those four agencies are absolutely essential in order to move those projects forward. We will sign an MOU here today to get those projects online quicker.

I will also propose legislation to change the pricing structure of renewables, making them more competitive. And to oversee these efforts and to keep everyone on the same page, I have created a Renewable Energy Strike Team within my own administration.

Of course, today's actions are just the first step, because there is a whole legislative side to all of this at the same time. I know that both the Assembly and the Senate are also committed to removing obstacles to renewable energy. So I can't wait to work with the legislators and to make all of this become a reality in the upcoming legislative session. We will ensure California remains a pioneer in clean energy and in clean jobs and in the clean economy.

In fact, this is exactly why I came here to OptiSolar for this announcement, because this is a perfect example here, this company. This will be the largest solar manufacturing facility in Northern America, creating more than 1,000 new jobs as they expand and grow this company. By leading the way, California is showing again to the world that you do both, promote and protect the environment and also protect our economy.

And when we talk about our economy, let's be honest, I think our economy needs a little shot in the arm right now. So anyway, I'm looking forward to working with everyone together and with the legislators.

And now I would like to call out a good friend and someone that is also right now in the middle of the special session. We, as a matter of fact, just broke off our Big Five Meeting to fix our budget problem that we have and all this. Please welcome Darrell Steinberg, a great senator and the next leader in the Senate. (Applause)

SENATOR STEINBERG:

Thank you very much, Governor. I'm proud to join you for this announcement of your Squirrel Action Plan. It is really wonderful to be with you here, Governor and to be with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to launch this very, very important effort for California.

There's no question that, along with energy efficiency, increasing use of renewable energy is the single most important step that we can take in our electricity system to reduce fossil fuels, to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and to secure our energy independence.

And, as the Governor said a moment ago, this is may be our most important opportunity to bring life to the terms 'green jobs' and 'green economy'. This is the prime example of the green economy that is being talked about throughout California, the nation and the rest of the world, because when we meet these standards we will not only be creating our own energy independence, we will also be providing the pathway to high-wage jobs and economic growth for California.

I support the Governor's efforts as well to get state and federal agencies working more closely to streamline siting of new renewable generation and transmission lines.

And I'm very pleased that he has put out the olive branch and he committed today, as he has committed all along, to work with the Legislature. In fact, he's proposed legislation to set this new 33 percent renewable energy goal for 2020.

And let me say this. Governor, I say we get this done within the first 90 days of session here in California. (Applause)

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:

Now you're talking.

SENATOR STEINBERG:

Let's make this one of the first things we do and show the people that the 2009-10 session will be a great and productive session for California. Thank you very, very much. Look forward to working with you all. (Applause)

Let me now introduce an individual who is the lead Member on the Assembly side on this great project, Assemblymember Paul Krekorian. Please give him a warm welcome. (Applause)

ASSEMBLYMEMBER KREKORIAN:

Thank you, President Pro-tem Steinberg. And Governor, let me thank you, first of all, for your extraordinary leadership in this area, as you've demonstrated in so many environmental areas. Your work in promoting renewable energy has been second to none in the world and so we are honored to be able to be here and work with you as partners in the Assembly in developing the kind of policies that will make our mutual goals that we all believe in into a reality.

I think there's an opportunity here that presents itself, where the stars are aligning throughout the world, nations are trying to relieve themselves of their addiction to fossil fuels. We realize the dramatic impact that fossil fuel dependency is having on our air quality, on our economy, on our national security. And this is one of those opportunities where California once again can rise to a point of global leadership by expanding our reliance on renewable energy.

We're very much committed to working on those policies in the State Assembly. For months now we've been bringing stakeholders together, bringing them together into the same room, at the table, to discuss how we make this vision a reality. And I share the points that the Governor described earlier, the obstacles that we need to overcome in dealing with transmission problems and siting challenges and the economics of this. But these are all issues that we can overcome by working together.

We are off to a great start. With the Governor's leadership today, this moves the ball forward that much further. And Governor, I'm very excited to be working with you and my colleagues in the Senate, colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are working very hard to make California the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy.

And I think we can do that. As an indication that we're working together to do that, my working group is a bipartisan group. We've been working very hard to overcome these obstacles. And one of the leaders in that group is my Republican colleague, who is in his own right a great environmentalist, a great leader in this area, my friend and colleague, Assemblymember Sam Blakeslee. Sam? (Applause)

ASSEMBLYMEMBER BLAKESLEE:

I'd like to applaud the Governor for his tremendous leadership in this endeavor. We remember a generation ago a president challenged us to go to the moon. Many people said it was impossible but a nation came together and history was made.

We shouldn't underestimate the magnitude of the challenge the Governor has just laid before us but it's a challenge that we can achieve by working together. You see before you not only the Governor and his team, who've got enormous experience and background in this area but you've got legislators in the Senate and the Assembly, you have Republicans and Democrats, you have utilities, you have renewable generators, you have the environmental community. You have an entire state who understands that if we're to provide a secure future for our children, with energy independence, that it has to be and it must be, a renewable future.

I'm excited, because the technologies that you see here today and the technologies that will be developed in the coming decade will make California a leader not just here in the United States but in China and in India. And the technologies which will invigorate this economy will transform energy around the world and I couldn't be more proud to be a part of this effort.

And again, I applaud the Governor for his leadership. With that, I'd like to welcome Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Mike Poole, someone who is helping with the federal side. Mike, won't you join us? Thank you for coming. (Applause)

MIKE POOLE:

Thank you, Assemblyman Blakeslee. It is our pleasure to represent the U.S. BLM at this great ceremony today.

Here in California BLM oversees about 15 percent of the state and a significant portion of these public lands hold great promise for renewable energy development. The public lands here in California already produce substantial amounts of geothermal energy, enough to power about 500,000 homes and new developments are on the horizon. We have already authorized large wind energy developments, enough to power over 230,000 homes here in this state.

But these projects are just the beginning. We have experienced, over the past year or so, a tremendous interest in using these public lands for expanded wind energy and building new state-of-the-art solar facilities to tap the sun energy to power California's future. Much of this new demand and enthusiasm is clearly due to Governor Schwarzenegger's vision and setting ambitious renewable portfolio standards. These standards set high goals to generate more renewable energy from private, state and federal public lands here in California.

Reaching for these goals, aimed at making California a leader in reducing greenhouse gases to address climate change, calls for a great deal of cooperation among federal, state, local governments and private interests in California. BLM already enjoys a great working relationship with the Governor's Office, the California Resources Agency and other key departments in the energy and environmental protection areas.

Today we are honored to be here to witness the Governor's next big step forward for renewable energy here in California. We are pleased to be able to join with other federal and state agencies in a renewed commitment to increase our cooperation to meet the dual challenges of fostering renewable resource energy development while still protecting the lands, its wildlife and environment that make California so unique.

It is now my privilege to introduce the next speaker, John Fielder, President of Southern California Edison. (Applause)

JOHN FIELDER:

Thank you, Mike. And thank you, Governor, for inviting us to be part of the launch of this initiative to really expand the investment in transmission and renewables in this state. I think it's a testament to your leadership that we brought all this group together, with utilities and environmentalists and even state and federal agencies, so that was a real compliment.

Southern California Edison is no stranger to renewables. We last year delivered about 16 percent of the energy that our customers use from renewable resources. That's more than any other utility in the country and we're proud of that record.

On the transmission front, if we're going to have more renewables in our portfolio in California, we're going to have to invest in a lot more transmission. We have just started construction on the first phase of our Tehachapi transmission line, which will deliver up to 4,500 megawatts of wind power from the Tehachapi Mountains. And we've got interconnect requests for about 8,000 megawatts of new renewable resources on the California border next to Arizona and if we can get a transmission line built out that way we'll be able to import a lot of those renewable resources. So transmission is really a key.

And one of the things that we've learned is from the planning stages to getting a transmission line into operation, it's a 7 to 10 year timeframe. And we're looking forward to the initiatives that we're adopting today, the MOU and the executive order, to try and streamline that process, cut time out of it and ensure that there's better cooperation between all the agencies involved in the siting and permitting of transmission lines. Of that 7 to 10 years, over half the time is involved in siting, permitting and authorizing the line. The construction is the small part.

So, like the others, we look forward to working with the Governor, with the Legislature, with all of the stakeholders, to bring this vision about, to implement the MOU and the executive order and the statute that was referenced and we stand ready to put all our resources with the rest of the stakeholders to make this come about. Thank you very much. (Applause)

And now it's my pleasure to introduce my counterpart from PG&E, Nancy McFadden. (Applause)

NANCY McFADDEN:

Thank you, John. Governor and legislators and distinguished guests, let me join the chorus of lauding our Governor for his leadership not only on global warming but for zeroing in on renewable energy and for taking real steps today to make more renewable energy not only possible but probable.

It takes leadership, yes, to set an ambitious goal. But it takes a successful leader who is going to have lasting impact to bring together all of the people that are necessary to bring more renewable energy online and to be willing to identify the obstacles to doing so and remove them. The Governor would probably like to say blow them up.

So we stand, I stand here on behalf of PG&E committed to this process with all of these stakeholders, distinguished group of stakeholders, to move this ball forward, to blow up those obstacles, identify them and move the ball forward so we can meet your ambitious goal, Governor. Thank you. (Applause)

GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER:

Are you going to introduce the next speaker?

NANCY McFADDEN:

Oh, you're right. Had to take my cue from the Governor. Introducing our next speaker, the President and CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric, Debbie Reed.

DEBORAH REED:

Thank you, Governor, legislators and everyone joined together. And I would echo the comments of the others here today. I would also say that sometimes you wonder, when you pass legislation, if it really makes a difference. And I'd like to comment on the legislation that put the 20 percent renewables standard in place, because it has made a difference for SDG&E.

When we started in 2003 we had only about 1 percent of our energy from renewables. After that law went into effect we already have 15 percent under contract for 2010 and 21 percent for 2011 and we're headed to the 33 percent. So it does really make a difference.

In order to achieve that, though, as Mr. Fielder indicated, we do need the right infrastructure and transmission is absolutely critical to get those renewables from the Imperial Valley that the Governor mentioned in his remarks.

We look forward to working with the state's policy makers to convert these principles into a workable set of rules that we can all be proud of, that will really make a difference in showing the leadership that California has in the area of renewables, just like we've had in the area of energy efficiency, where we are truly the national leaders.

In assuming a positive decision on our Sunrise Powerlink next month, we are committed to getting to that 33 percent goal by 2020.

Now I'd like to introduce Jim Shetler, the assistant general manager of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. (Applause)

JIM SHETLER:

Thank you. First I'd like to thank the Governor for inviting SMUD to participate in this event on this journey towards a cleaner and greener tomorrow.

Secondly, I want to welcome OptiSolar to the family of SMUD customers. We look forward to working with you and with any luck we may be a customer of yours as well.

We support the Governor's executive order to remove barriers towards reaching a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard by 2020. SMUD is already on track to meet the current goal of 20 percent delivered energy by 2010. As an active participant in the Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative, SMUD would like to echo the Governor's call to expedite this key process through even greater collaboration among the stakeholders.

We also want to ensure local flexibility to respond to dynamic community needs while achieving the 33 percent goal. Our vision at SMUD is to meet this goal in a way that continues to assure good reliability, minimizes other environmental impacts and reduces the financial risk to our customers.

We all agree that the goal for reaching 33 percent RPS is critical for achieving the state's greenhouse gas reductions and SMUD would like to encourage that the RPS be aligned with the greenhouse gas goals under AB 32.

Governor Schwarzenegger's order helps clear the way for all of us to reach our RPS goals. We applaud him for his vision and pledge to work with the Governor, the Legislature and the other stakeholders on legislation to achieve our shared goal of making California a world leader in economic strength and environmental quality.

And now I would very much like to introduce a good friend of SMUD. The Natural Resources Defense Council has been a partner and friend for many years and their Western Director, Felicia Marcus. (Applause)

FELICIA MARCUS:

Well, I just want to start by saying, yahoo! Thank you, Governor, for jump-starting the effort to put more renewable energy on the ground. These are the kind of concrete, sensible steps that will go beyond rhetoric to real action and real results on the ground. It often requires strong leadership to really make things happen and thank you for taking the time to do this when you have so much else going on.

The proposed legislative principles and executive order intelligently do what we know must be done. They increase the goals for all utilities, not just investor-owned utilities, to derive energy from renewables. This not only helps renewables, it levels the playing field and rewards progressive utilities. They prioritize efficiency efforts, the cheapest and quickest route to energy security. They intelligently remove the barriers to renewables. The EO provides a sensible, programmatic approach to finding the optimum transmission corridors that also protect our precious natural resources, rather than simply expediting whatever separate projects walk in the door. This approach will get us to the goal line faster and won't throw the squirrel out with the bathwater. (Laughter)

Why do we do this? Just to remind you - at least for climate, of course, the economy, energy security and public health, just to pick a few.

* Climate: The issue of our time.

* The economy: We create good jobs here, our dollars stay here. We become the leaders of the new energy economy, versus the victims of the old one.

* Energy security: We control our energy destiny.

* Public health: Low or no emissions energy production, clean energy also means healthier people.

Look, we can lead the world, solve our energy problems, grow our economy, add jobs when we need them most and do it cleanly. What's not to like about that?

So what's next? The agencies and the stakeholders need to get to work. Legislative leaders need to work with the Governor to get the legislation passed ASAP - thank you, Senator Steinberg, for setting the bar this morning.

We're on red alert here. Whether we're talking about climate, the economy, energy security or public health protection, we knew these were the answers 30 years ago and more. And now we have the emerging industry ready to go and the only things standing in the way - the only things standing in the way - are well within our power to move. We can do this.

So thank you, Governor, for turning up the volume at this critical time in history. (Applause)

And now it is my extreme pleasure to introduce Rebecca Shaw, the Associate State Director for the Nature Conservancy and an acclaimed scientist in her own right. (Applause)

REBECCA SHAW:

Thank you, Felicia. And thank you, Governor, for inviting the Nature Conservancy to speak here today as part of this major step towards achieving large-scale renewable energy production while protecting and enhancing an extraordinary and delicate desert landscape.

I'm at the Nature Conservancy, whose mission it is to protect ecologically important land and waters for nature and people in California and around the world. Global warming is the single biggest threat to our mission and to California's unique landscapes and we congratulate you on your resolve to use innovative renewable energy technologies to alleviate the major cause of global warming. From a global environmental perspective, nothing is more important.

The Nature Conservancy believes that both are possible and essential to advance the state's climate change goals while simultaneously protecting our unique critical natural resources. The Memorandum Of Understanding that creates a Desert Energy Conservation Plan is indeed the best approach to reconcile and achieve these goals. Californians rely on the deserts to meet many of our needs such as tourism, recreation, agriculture and military testing and training.

All of us, the state agencies, the federal agencies, the stakeholders and those of us in the environmental community, must work together to meet the challenge that the Governor has set for us, which is to complete a plan for the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in just two years. It's quite an ambitious goal but we believe it can be done.

However, in our urgency to create a more sustainable future, we must be careful not to destroy the very environment that we are trying to protect. Indeed, California's deserts are globally significant landscapes, home to plants and animals that exist nowhere else on the earth. The Nature Conservancy appreciates the Governor's recognition that renewable energy technologies, if not properly planned and sited, could have a disastrous impact on California's deserts.

The framework that's been outlined will help us aggressively pursue renewable energy in a manner that protects and enhances these natural resources and we have to do it quickly but we have to do it right.

On behalf of the Nature Conservancy, we are ready to help meet this challenge. We are committed to the protection of these environments and we are all looking forward to working with you and your staff to develop the Desert Energy Conservation Plan through a thoughtful and collaborative process that has been launched today. The Renewable Energy Project and the Desert Energy Conservation Plan are important not only to Californians but as a model for the rest of the world.

So thank you, Governor, for your leadership in promoting this ambitious, innovative effort to combat global warming and protect California's natural environment.

The next speaker then is Mike Chrisman, a leader in helping this state meet the climate change goals and to protect California's natural environment. (Applause)

SECRETARY CHRISMAN:

Rebecca, thank you very much for that kind introduction. Thank you all for your participation today. It speaks volumes about the commitment we all have for this new endeavor that we're about to begin.

Today, of course, the Governor builds on his commitment to promote renewable energy while continuing to protect and steward our very valuable natural resource base here in California. He recognizes, of course, our responsibility both to be good stewards of the environment but it must also go hand in hand with combating our climate change challenges before us.

His action today, of course, in signing this executive order, is to move the state forward on the path towards a clean energy economy while ensuring the protection and conservation of California's natural resources for today and for generations to come.

So now, Governor, I'd like to invite you to step forward and sign the executive order on the left of the podium here, if you would. (Applause)

(EXECUTIVE ORDER SIGNING)

SECRETARY CHRISMAN:

Okay, the other two MOUs that we've got to sign here, I'd like to invite - first of all we'll sign the state MOU. I'd like to invite forward Don Koch and Jacky Pfannenstiel. Don Koch is Director of the Department of Fish and Game and Jackalyne Pfannenstiel is the Chair of the energy Commission. If they would sign the State MOU in the green folder right there, Don.

(MOU SIGNING)

SECRETARY CHRISMAN:

And again, this is an MOU between the California Energy Commission and the Department of Fish and Game. As a part of the Governor's Executive order today he created the Renewable Energy Action Team. It kind of lays out an action plan, a good working relationship to achieve some very tight goals, timelines and goals and close working relationship between the Department of Fish and Game and Energy Commission. Thank you both for doing this.

I'd like now to ask them to stay and invite Rick Sayers, who is the Acting Deputy Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the State Director of Bureau of Land Management, Mike Poole, to step forward and sign the MOU in the blue folder, if you would, together with Jacky and Don, again memorializing this action plan, memorializing the executive order that the Governor set in place today.