Midwestern Governors Conference

Midwestern Governors Conference
Name	Midwestern Governors Conference
Formation	20th century
Type	Regional governors' association
Location	Midwestern United States
Region served	Midwestern states
Membership	Governors of Midwestern states

Contents

Midwestern Governors Conference is a regional association of executive leaders from the Midwestern United States that convenes to coordinate interjurisdictional initiatives among states such as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The conference's activities intersect with national and multistate bodies including the National Governors Association, the Council of State Governments, the Great Lakes Commission, the Midwest Interstate Passenger Rail Commission, and federal agencies like the United States Department of Transportation. Participants have included notable figures such as Adlai Stevenson II, James R. Thompson, George W. Romney, Mitt Romney, John Engler, Jennifer Granholm, and Tim Pawlenty.

History

Early cooperative meetings trace to 20th-century regionalism connecting initiatives led by figures linked to the New Deal era and later Cold War infrastructure programs such as the Interstate Highway System. Postwar governors coordinated on issues tied to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Mississippi River Commission, and agricultural policy debates informed by the Agricultural Adjustment Act and the Farm Credit System. During the 1970s and 1980s, the conference intersected with national debates over deindustrialization in the Rust Belt, energy disputes involving ExxonMobil and American Electric Power, and environmental litigation against entities such as United States Steel Corporation. The 1990s and 2000s saw collaboration on transportation and health policy parallel to initiatives by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Membership comprises sitting governors from the Midwestern states; past participants have included Dwight D. Eisenhower (as a native Kansan), Harold Stassen, Arne Carlson, and Emanuel "Rahm" Emanuel in regional contexts. The conference coordinates with legislative counterparts like the National Conference of State Legislatures and administrative entities such as state departments of transportation and state departments of health (for example, Minnesota Department of Health, Ohio Department of Health). Ex officio relationships exist with organizations including the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers and the Upper Mississippi River Basin Association. Observer status has been extended to representatives from Amtrak, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Railroad Administration, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Regular meetings rotate among capital cities such as Springfield, Illinois, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Iowa, Topeka, Kansas, Lansing, Michigan, St. Paul, Minnesota, Jefferson City, Missouri, Lincoln, Nebraska, Bismarck, North Dakota, Columbus, Ohio, Pierre, South Dakota, and Madison, Wisconsin. Agendas frequently intersect with interstate compacts like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey model and with commissions such as the Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission and the Great Lakes Commission. Plenary sessions have hosted briefings from officials from Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, and private-sector partners such as Caterpillar Inc., General Motors, Boeing, and John Deere. Working groups historically addressed transportation with stakeholders including Amtrak, environmental regulation with litigants such as BP plc in oil cases, and workforce development with unions like the United Auto Workers.

Initiatives have spanned interstate compacts, infrastructure investment, public health preparedness, and energy transition efforts tied to projects like the Windustry wind-energy cooperatives and solar pilot programs in collaboration with Midwest ISO and PJM Interconnection. The conference has supported regional proposals tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and coordinated grant applications to the Economic Development Administration and Department of Transportation for projects such as passenger rail corridors advocated by the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. Environmental programs referenced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and cross-state mitigation strategies related to the Clean Water Act and litigation involving National Wildlife Federation. Agriculture and rural development efforts engaged stakeholders including the United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency, and regional research partners like the University of Minnesota, Iowa State University, Ohio State University, and Michigan State University.

Operational funding has historically derived from a mix of state appropriations, membership assessments, and federal grants administered through agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Economic Development Administration. Administrative support often leverages regional offices of national organizations including the Council of State Governments and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Contracted services have involved law firms, consulting firms like McKinsey & Company or Booz Allen Hamilton, and accounting firms such as Deloitte for grant compliance and program evaluation.

Critics have targeted the conference for perceived alignment with corporate stakeholders including ExxonMobil, American Electric Power, and General Motors during regulatory debates, and for conflicts cited in public records cases involving state lobbying firms and contractors such as Koch Industries affiliates. Controversy has arisen over transparency and open-meetings compliance in several states, invoking statutes like state-level sunshine laws and prompting litigation involving public-interest groups such as Environmental Defense Fund and American Civil Liberties Union. Other disputes concerned allocation of federal funds under programs like the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and debates over Medicaid waiver negotiations involving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Category:Regional organizations in the United States