(1) The legislature finds that there is a new emerging global economy in which countries and regions located in specific areas of the world are forging new cooperative arrangements.
(2) The legislature finds that these new cooperative arrangements are increasing the competitiveness of the participating countries and regions, thus increasing the economic benefits and the overall quality of life for the citizens of the individual countries and regions.
(3) The legislature also finds that the Pacific Northwest states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory of Canada are in a strategic position to act together as a region, thus increasing the overall competitiveness of the individual states, provinces, and territory that will provide substantial economic benefits for all of their citizens.