Kick-off meeting for Western Renewable Energy Zones Project set for May 28 in Salt Lake City (5/22/08)

Kick-off meeting for Western Renewable Energy Zones Project set for May 28 in Salt Lake City

DENVER -- Utah Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Vice Chairman of the Western Governors' Association, and DOE Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Kevin Kolevar will kick off the first meeting of a joint initiative – the Western Renewable Energy Zones project – on May 28 in Salt Lake City. Utilizing those areas in the West with vast renewable resources to expedite the development and delivery of clean and renewable energy is the central goal of the WREZ project.

The West has vast, untapped renewable energy resources that we need to bring online to help meet the region's demand for clean energy, Huntsman said. This project will help WGA states reach our goal of adding 30,000 megawatts of clean and diversified energy by 2015.

The Department of Energy has consistently supported regional efforts to address generation and transmission challenges, and we welcome the opportunity to work with the WGA to identify renewable energy zones," Kolevar said. "Bolstering the growth of renewable generation capacity and the transmission necessary to transmit this energy to our cities is critical to the Bush Administration's ongoing efforts to ensure a clean, diversified and secure energy future for our Nation."

Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming, WGA's Chair, said the information generated from the process will be invaluable to decision-makers.

At the end of this project, we should have improved data and other information to help our region make decisions on where to build transmission lines, Freudenthal said. I encourage everyone who has an interest in this issue to participate in the process.

Steering the WREZ process are the governors, public utility commissioners and premiers from 11 states, two Canadian provinces and areas of Mexico that are part of the Western Interconnection. Officials from the U.S. Departments of Energy, Interior and Agriculture, as well as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will serve as ex officio members of the Steering Committee.

A WREZ Technical Committee and several work groups will be formed to examine development potential, costs and environmental impacts, among other issues. That committee will hold its first meeting on May 29, beginning at 8 a.m.

For additional information about the project, see WREZ Initiative.

The Western Governors' Association is an independent, nonprofit organization representing the governors of 19 states and three U.S.-Flag islands in the Pacific. Through their Association, the Western governors identify and address key policy and governance issues in natural resources, the environment, human services, economic development, international relations and public management.

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