Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire departs for Copenhagen Friday to attend the United Nations climate summit.  The six day trip to the Danish capital is drawing fire from some skeptical Republicans. Tom Banse has more from Olympia.

In Copenhagen, Governor Gregoire will appear on a panel with California Governor Schwarzenegger and British Columbia's premier.

They will talk up climate change collaborations among Western states that could be replicated on a national level. 

Gregoire also spins the trip as a trade mission.

Chris Gregoire: "I'm going to see I think some of the best companies on the globe. I'm going to be recruiting every single day to get them to consider Washington State."

Some Republicans have pounced on Democrat Gregoire for leaving Washington just as a budget battle warms up.

The opposition argues pressing business at home should take precedence over what one lawmaker called, "jet-setting... with the international elite."

A pair of climate change non-profits are picking up the tab for the trip by the governor and two of her staff.

Meanwhile, Boise and Klamath Falls got props this week at the U.N. climate conference. 

Both cities appear on a list of the world's 10 leading geothermal cites, as determined by the Geothermal Energy Association. 

Geothermal heating districts in Boise and Klamath Falls provide carbon-free heating in homes, office buildings and greenhouses.