Western governors discuss land issues

SALT LAKE CITY - Governors of four Western states held discussions Friday on issues from federal land control to immigration.

"The Western states need to bind together and unite their voices," said Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who hosted the talks .

The governors, all Republicans, included Idaho's Butch Otter, Wyoming's Matt Mead and Nevada's Brian Sandoval, who joined the conference by phone.

The gathering focused on the management of public lands by the federal government. The four states have swaths of national forest, national parks or acreage owned by Bureau of Land Management.

The governors say federal policies can impede energy development, which can be important catalysts for job creation and increased tax revenue.

Regional cooperation is important because it ensures the needs of states with smaller populations are still respected, Otter said.