BOISE — Conservatives in Oregon want to join Idaho, and Republican Gov. Brad Little said it’s not that surprising.

Little appeared on Fox News on Wednesday to talk about how a group of Oregon residents created a petition to move Idaho’s border west to include part of their state.

The “Greater Idaho” project would allow some counties in Oregon to join conservative Idaho, which proponents say lines up better with their political values.

If the project goes through, all but 14 of Oregon’s 36 counties would be part of Idaho, according to a news release on the Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho Facebook page.

“They’re looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere, our values,” Little said on “Fox & Friends.” “That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”

He said there would be many governmental and legal hurdles to overcome before the new state lines would happen.

At an annual breakfast with Idaho media, Little said a lot needs to happen before it becomes a reality. The decision to change Idaho and Oregon’s borders would need to go through both legislatures and the U.S. Congress for approval.

“I understand the frustration of some of my Oregon friends, about the rules, the laws, the regulations that are coming out of Oregon, but that’s really a decision that’s got to be made there,” Little said. “It’s got to be made in Idaho, and it’s got to be made in Congress.”

The project is in very early stages, with the Greater Idaho group filing petitions with Douglas and Josephine county clerk officers for a local ballot measure that would ask if the county should instead become a county of Idaho, The News-Review said. It could make it on the ballot in November.

If petitions are successful, the Greater Idaho project would like to eventually bring parts of Northern California into Idaho as well, according to the news release.

“Rural counties have become increasingly outraged by laws coming out of the Oregon Legislature that threaten our livelihoods, our industries, our wallet, our gun rights, and our values,” Mike McCarter, one of the chief petitioners, said in a news release.

“We tried voting those legislators out but rural Oregon is outnumbered and our voices are now ignored. This is our last resort.”

Regardless of what happens, Little said the state’s name would remain Idaho.

“No matter what happens, we’ll maintain our name,” Little said.