2006 - Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty's Agenda

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, chair of the Midwestern Governors Association in 2006, focused his chairman's agenda on two major issues. The first was the 2007 re-authorization of the farm bill. The Midwestern governors appointed their top agriculture policy experts to a working group that determined the governors' bi-partisan priorities for the farm bill.

The second focus of the Chairman's agenda was to promote the increased production and consumption of biofuels. Midwestern governors have been actively promoting biofuels, and the Midwest currently leads the nation in their overall production and consumption. Pawlenty asked the governors to appoint their top energy policy experts to a working group to focus on increasing American energy independence, to stimulate economic development and to keep the environment clean.

These working groups developed two documents. The Midwestern Governors Association Policy Objectives and Recommendations for the 2007 Farm Bill, was developed to be used as a starting point to shape the future of U.S. agricultural policy. It includes the governors' priorities for the region's agriculture industry. The second publication was A Biofuels Checklist. It highlights some of the successful biofuel initiatives and best practices that have been undertaken by Midwestern governors. It also summarizes barriers states face as they work to increase their consumption and production of biofuels.