Mead, who is in Alberta this week prior to returning to the US on June 19, began his trade missions June 12 along with several business leaders from coal and other energy sectors.

In British Columbia, Mead visited the Westshore terminal, which exports US and Canadian coal to Asian markets, mostly South Korea, for a front-row seat of the process.

“The Westshore terminal has a 40-year track of record of using the latest technologies to store and load coal onto barges in a responsible fashion,” he said.

“This terminal is at capacity and is looking at ways to make more efficient use of its existing site.”

Mead also met with officials from Port Metro Vancouver, owner of one of North America’s largest and most diversified ports.

While there, he held discussions with port officials about expanding exports along with the need to be commodity-neutral in trade matters.

“Whether it is Powder River Basin coal for electricity, Canadian coal for metallurgy, or any number of agricultural products, manufactured goods, or commodities, we must remember that the US and Canada are trade partners in a global economy,” Mead said.

“Access to all markets helps our economies and improves the standard of living across the world.”

The Wyoming governor also took the time during his trip to speak with citizens who have expressed concerns about land issues that could be affected by more exporting – and Mead noted that his input on local planning matters would be inappropriate.

“However, I reiterated the need for railroads and coal companies to address concerns of citizens by providing data, and to the extent there is no information or baseline data, then industry should be prepared to collect it,” Mead said.

“Empirical data is necessary for sound decision making and problem solving. We need to look for ways – not to create roadblocks, but to find solutions to problems, and data is helpful.”

Mead said it was beneficial for him to personally see the complexities of exporting as well as examine opportunities and challenges.