Nuclear Energy Workshop

In April 2011, the WGA convened a workshop on Nuclear Energy in the West with experts from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Electric Power Research Institute, national laboratories, utilities, state and local governments, and public interest groups. The participants were asked to provide perspective on how the West could best position itself to consider how nuclear energy can be part of the clean energy future the West supports.

The result of that workshop is contained in the report, "The Future of Nuclear Energy: Shaping A Western Policy." The report focuses on the role for and challenges associated with nuclear energy production in the West. This includes education programs, job- and career-growth, economic expansion, environmental and public health and safety benefits, and the path toward energy independence and security.

Industrial Energy Efficiency Summit

WGA held an Industrial Energy Efficiency Summit on March 16 -17, 2011 to gather policy recommendations from a diverse group of stakeholders. Attendees included representatives from utilities, industry, the U.S. Department of Energy, and organizations that promote and implement energy efficiency projects.

During the meeting, a diverse group of panelists presented their findings on the significant cost savings that can be accrued with IEE programs, as well as existing and potential impediments to initiating such programs. Breakout sessions were held and recommendations for removing barriers to IEE projects will be compiled in a report and presented to the Governors at their Annual Meeting in June 2011.

Click here for links to opening remarks from WGA Chairman Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, agenda, speaker bios, success stories and current programs.

Building an Energy-Efficient Future

Western Governors have recommended policies and best practices for energy-efficient building that could dramatically reduce the demand for energy and water, while providing a boost to the region’s economy. The recommendations included in the report, Building an Energy-Efficient Future, were developed during a workshop, which included stakeholders representing building industries, utilities, public interest groups, all levels of government and energy service companies.

Participants were tasked with developing strategies that would achieve a 30 percent or greater improvement in energy efficiency over current International Energy Conservation Code standards.  The report was written for governors, legislators and other public and private entities that are working to craft larger and more effective efficiency and conservation programs.  The governors noted in a joint letter accompanying the report that energy efficiency and conservation represent “a vast and still underutilized” domestic energy resource.

Deploying Near-Zero Technologies for Coal: A Path Forward

Recommendations for deploying near-zero technologies for coal were developed by stakeholders participating in a WGA workshop in 2007.  The purpose of the workshop was to determine a path to achieving full, commercial-scale deployment of near-zero emissions coal technology, including carbon capture and sequestration.  A workshop summary identified a number of concepts that governmental entities could consider in developing both technical and regulatory pathways for the deployment of near-zero-emission, coal-fired power plants.

Western Governors are encouraging the region to utilize its diverse resources to produce affordable, sustainable, and environmentally responsible energy. The Governors priorities are outlined in a resolution the Governors adopted in 2006, based on the recommendations of their Clean and Diversified Energy Advisory Committee.  The committee’s report identified changes in state and federal policy that would be needed to achieve:

• 30,000 megawatts of new clean and diverse energy generation by 2015,
• A 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020, and
• Adequate transmission capacity for the region over the next 25 years.