News

The initiative culminated with the release of the Energy Superabundance Report at WGA’s Annual Meeting in Deer Valley, Utah. The report summarized the key issues explored during the workshops and presented federal policy recommendations developed from those discussions to help plan, finance, develop, and deploy energy projects across the West.

“We live in an age of miracles, and every one of those miracles needs an electron,” said Governor Cox during WGA’s Annual Meeting. “Because when an electron touches a hospital, lives are saved. When an electron touches a school, ideas come to fruition, and wisdom is learned. When an electron touches a home, families flourish. By definition, we have to work together if we're going to get those electrons where they need to go, and if we're going to lower prices for the people who call our states home and make life easier and more abundant so that human flourishing can actually happen at levels that we've never experienced before.”

Read the report here.

“America can’t build its way out of today’s energy crunch fast enough,” said Yaron Miller, who leads The Pew Charitable Trusts’ state work to modernize the electric grid. “The fastest, most cost-effective energy is often the capacity already sitting on the grid. The Western Governors’ Association report shows how federal policymakers can use advanced transmission technologies, surplus interconnection service, and aggregation of clean distributed energy resources to unlock more power from existing infrastructure. States are serving as the proving ground for these approaches, and now it’s time to bring them to scale with stronger coordination and clear policy pathways that can secure reliable power to meet demand and lower energy bills.”   

• Yaron Miller, Project Director, Energy Modernization, The Pew Charitable Trusts

"Governor Cox has proven that Western governors can lead the nation on energy abundance – innovating fast, building here, and selling globally. This report reflects the kind of technology-neutral, innovation-driven, regulatory reform agenda that America needs right now. From permitting modernization and interregional transmission planning, to advanced grid deployment and a real commitment to nuclear as a near-term priority, this report charts a clear path forward."

• Jeremy  Harrell, CEO, ClearPath

"We're proud to have supported and contributed to this initiative under the leadership of Governor Cox and a bipartisan group of governors across the West. Modernizing the grid is essential to advancing affordable, reliable energy — and we encourage every governor in America to embrace this bold, pragmatic approach to addressing energy affordability."

• Charles Hua, Founder and Executive Director, Powerlines

“Advanced Energy United is proud to have supported the development of this report and is pleased that it includes many actionable recommendations to improve how we build new transmission and other energy infrastructure as well as make better use of the infrastructure we already have. We look forward to working with Western governors and stakeholders across the region to move these recommendations forward and power a secure, clean, and affordable energy future for the West.” 

• Leah Rubin Shen, Managing Director, Advanced Energy United

“SPP appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the important dialogue, led by Governor Cox, seeking innovative solutions to the significant energy challenges in the West. The Western Governors’ report highlights the region’s leadership and commitment to reliability and coordinated, forward-looking energy solutions.”

• Kristine Raper, Western Regulatory Director, Southwest Power Pool  

"Governors in the West get it. Meeting rising electricity load growth on a grid increasingly powered by variable wind and solar requires long-duration energy storage like pumped storage hydropower. Pumped storage is a proven technology that already makes up nearly 90% of long-duration, utility-scale storage and is essential to ensuring reliable, affordable electricity for all residents. I commend Governor Cox and his partners at WGA for highlighting this priority."

• Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO, National Hydropower Association

"Meeting the West's growing energy needs will require reliable, affordable, and abundant energy built through collaboration across industry, government, utilities, and communities. Amazon is committed to investing in new energy supply, supporting the infrastructure needed to serve growing demand, and working alongside Western Governors to help power long-term growth across the region.”

• Craig Sundstrom, Head of Energy and Sustainability Policy, AWS Americas

"The Western Governors' Association's report on Energy Superabundance offers the case for why unlocking energy production, transmission, and storage are key to further prosperity, both in the West and the country at large. It also adds to the bipartisan chorus of leaders calling for federal permitting reform this year. As Governor Cox notes, our country can secure energy abundance. It's up to our policymakers to make that happen." 

• Charlie Anderson, Executive Vice President for Infrastructure, Arnold Ventures

“We were pleased to contribute to this critical collaboration alongside a broad coalition of dedicated organizations. We appreciate Governor Cox and the Western Governors Association for their leadership in convening this effort, and we are proud to help drive a shared vision for advancing energy abundance that unlocks long-term economic opportunities, strengthens local communities, and delivers greater affordability."

• Rana Sen, Government and Public Services Managing Director, Deloitte

“WGA’s Energy Superabundance report is a clear call to action. Meeting surging demand will require diversified, strategic energy resources paired with faster permitting, regulatory certainty, and scalable investment in generation, transmission, and storage to deliver reliable, affordable energy and unlock prosperity across the West.”

• Heather Zichal, Global Head of Sustainability, JPMorganChase