(EAGLE RIVER) - More than 400 leaders from throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Governor Frank Murkowski, a dozen Alaska legislators and officials, plus the Premier of British Columbia will converge on Victoria, B.C. next week to work on issues common to the region.

The Fourteenth Annual Summit of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) will focus on energy policy, tourism, trade, maritime security, roads, environment, invasive species and agriculture, among other topics.

PNWER was formed in 1991 by the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and the provinces of B.C., Alberta, and the Yukon Territory. The purpose is to promote greater regional cooperation, and to enhance the region's global competitiveness while protecting the area environment. If it were a nation, PNWER would rank eleventh among the world's leading industrial economies, with combined population of more than 18 million and an annual gross regional product of more than $350 billion. The region includes great energy resource wealth in Alaska, Yukon, B.C. and Alberta, along with great population centers on the coast, great farm and ranch production east of the Cascade Mountains, and world-class fisheries on the coast.

Continuing contact and interaction with Northwest states and provinces has allowed Alaska to directly communicate its perspective on various issues, and to assert a leadership role in the region. A major focus of the meeting will be the construction of gas pipelines to get Arctic gas to the population centers of B.C., Washington and Oregon. The cross border traffic, both commercial and private, will also be addressed.

The PNWER Summit will feature an Energy Forum and a Northwest Energy Technology Showcase to highlight sustainable energy technologies. Other discussions will explore possible regional partnerships, especially in light of the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics. The threat to biodiversity from invasive species will be highlighted, and the results of a new study on the economic benefits of the growing cruise ship industry will be released.

Sen. Fred Dyson (R-Eagle River) is finishing his term as President of PNWER. The presidency alternates between Canada and the United States annually. Rob Brenner of Alberta will assume leadership of PNWER at the Victoria meeting.

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