Western governors' new transmission agreement is a green light for growth

Eleven Western governors just took the single biggest step in years toward modernizing the grid that will power the region's next decade of growth. On June 30, at the Western Governors' Association annual meeting, a bipartisan coalition led by WGA Chair Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah signed a joint statement endorsing the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition (WestTEC) study and launching a new Permitting Alignment and Coordination Task Force, or PACT. Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming all signed on.

This is the kind of decisive, results-oriented governance The Western Way has long called for: an aging grid getting a real upgrade, red tape getting cut, and Western states positioning themselves to win the jobs and investment that come with reliable, abundant power.

A grid built for growth, not a bottleneck holding it back

The West is in the middle of an economic boom, and every part of it runs on electricity. Digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor plants and a growing population are driving demand higher every year. The problem is that much of the region's transmission system was built decades ago, for a much smaller economy. Generation has kept pace in a lot of places; the wires to move that power to where it's needed have not.

That's the gap Western Power Pool's WestTEC 10-year study was built to close. More than a year in the making, with input from utilities, state and Tribal governments and regional planning organizations, the study lays out exactly which transmission projects the West needs to keep the lights on and keep growing. WPP President and CEO Sarah Edmonds called it "a credible, data-driven blueprint that developers and states can use to build the infrastructure needed to meet future energy needs" — the kind of clear roadmap that turns good intentions into shovels in the ground.

PACT cuts the red tape that's been slowing projects down

A blueprint is only as good as a state's ability to execute it, and that's where PACT comes in. Transmission projects routinely spend years stuck in permitting — because approvals are scattered across agencies and states with little coordination. That's the bottleneck PACT is designed to break.

The task force will put a designated state lead in place to coordinate permitting across agencies and neighboring states, identify "Superabundance" priority transmission lines using clear, transparent criteria, and build common permitting timelines so developers know what to expect and when. It's a straightforward fix: streamline the process, and projects that used to take a decade can move in a fraction of the time.

Faster grid buildout means more jobs and investment in the West

Cutting permitting delays isn't just an efficiency win — it's an economic development strategy. Companies deciding where to invest are looking hard at whether a state can deliver reliable power on a reasonable timeline. States that can move transmission projects faster will be the ones that land the next major project, and the jobs and tax base that come with it. As Emy Lesofski, energy advisor to Gov. Cox and director of the Utah Office of Energy Development, put it: "Think of the grid like the roads and highways connecting our communities — it doesn't matter how much is produced if you can't move it to where people actually live and work."

That's especially true for the rural counties that host most of this infrastructure. The Western Way's own economic impact studies across Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah have documented how energy development — generation and the transmission that carries it — translates into construction jobs, long-term operations employment, and millions of dollars in property tax revenue for the rural communities where these projects are built. A faster permitting process means those benefits arrive sooner, and more of them.

A model other regions should be watching

Gov. Cox's 2026 WGA chair initiative, "Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West," set the goal; the WestTEC-PACT agreement is the first concrete step toward delivering on it. Eleven governors, from both parties, agreeing on a shared plan to modernize the grid and clear a path for the projects that plan requires — that's a genuine milestone, and one other regions grappling with the same growth and permitting pressures would do well to study.

The Western Way will be tracking PACT closely as the task force identifies priority lines and builds out permitting timelines in the months ahead. A faster, more reliable grid is how the West keeps winning the projects, jobs and investment that come with a growing economy — and this agreement is a strong down payment on that future.

Utah Signs on to FAST-41: A Model for Western Permitting Reform

At Governor Spencer Cox's Operation Gigawatt Summit in Park City last week, Utah did something worth paying attention to. Gov. Cox and Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Executive Director Emily Domenech signed a memorandum of understanding committing Utah to the FAST-41 permitting process — aligning state and federal environmental review timelines for critical infrastructure projects and bringing a new level of transparency and predictability to the permitting process.

It's a practical step with real consequences. Too often, major energy and infrastructure projects clear the federal environmental review process only to sit and wait while state permitting catches up. This MOU is designed to close that gap — coordinating timelines, identifying priority projects, and avoiding the duplicative delays that add years and millions of dollars to development without improving outcomes.

What FAST-41 Actually Does

FAST-41, established by Congress in 2015, created the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council to bring structure, accountability, and transparency to the federal review process for major infrastructure projects. Projects that opt into FAST-41 coverage get a comprehensive permitting timetable and a public dashboard to track progress. The idea is simple: sunlight and schedules keep things moving.

Under this MOU, Utah commits to aligning its state permitting timelines with that federal process. In return, the Permitting Council provides technical assistance, convenes interagency meetings, and helps identify projects eligible for streamlined review. Utah also gains access to funding and technology to improve its own permitting systems.

The agreement is the fourth federal-state MOU signed under the Trump administration — following Alaska, Idaho, and Tennessee — with more states expected to follow.

Why It Matters for Utah

The stakes are high. Utah contains 50 of the 60 federally listed critical minerals. Governor Cox has set an ambitious target through Operation Gigawatt to double the state's energy production over the next decade. The Permitting Council's involvement means more eyes, more coordination, and fewer bureaucratic bottlenecks standing between Utah's resource base and the projects that can put it to work.

As Gov. Cox put it: "Utah is a state that builds. We know that America's future depends on our ability to move projects from idea to reality."

That's the right framing. Permitting reform isn't about cutting corners on environmental review — it's about making the process honest, predictable, and efficient. When developers know upfront what the timeline looks like and agencies are working from the same schedule, good projects move forward. The ones that shouldn't don't get a pass just because the clock keeps running.

The Bigger Picture

The Western Way has long argued that permitting dysfunction is one of the biggest self-inflicted wounds in American energy policy. The resources are here. The capital is ready. The workforce exists. What slows projects down — often for years — is a permitting system that lacks coordination, transparency, and accountability.

Utah's MOU is a blueprint other Western states should be studying. Geothermal development, critical mineral extraction, solar and battery storage projects, transmission lines — all of these face the same permitting gauntlet. A coordinated federal-state approach that aligns timelines and creates public accountability doesn't require new legislation or regulatory overhaul. It just requires states and the federal government to decide to work together.

That's exactly what Utah did. And it's exactly what the West needs more of.

New National Poll: Americans Want Grid Modernization, Permitting Reform and an All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy

A new national poll from the Conservative Energy Network delivers a message that should resonate with every policymaker, utility executive and community leader in the West: Americans are feeling real pain from rising energy costs — and they want action, not ideology.

The survey, conducted by Cygnal in early May, polled 1,500 likely general election voters nationwide. The findings are striking in their breadth and their bipartisan consistency — and they reinforce everything The Western Way has been hearing on the ground in the states where we work.

The Backdrop: Costs Are Squeezing Families

More than four in five respondents — 82 percent — say they are concerned about the affordability of their electricity bills. Nearly three in four report their electricity bill has gone up over the past two years. And a majority say their household's financial situation has gotten worse over the past year. This isn't an abstract policy debate. Energy affordability is a kitchen-table issue, and voters know it.

When asked to rank their top energy policy priorities, 62 percent of respondents said keeping electricity costs affordable for families. Grid reliability and blackout-proofing came in second at 33 percent. Those are the same two priorities that drive the energy conversation across the rural West — and they should be driving the conversation in Washington, too.

The Grid Is Aging — and Voters Know It

Here's a number that should get every member of Congress's attention: 92 percent of respondents say it is important to modernize and upgrade the U.S. electricity grid. That holds across every demographic and partisan group at 91 to 94 percent. Meanwhile, 81 percent believe the current grid is incapable of reliably meeting growing electricity demand from AI data centers, manufacturing reshoring and electrification, and say significant upgrades are needed.

Voters aren't naive about the costs. Roughly half believe grid upgrades will ultimately raise consumer bills, while only a third believe they'll bring prices down. But when the tradeoff is spelled out clearly — lower bills in the long run and greater reliability, even at a small short-term cost — support jumps to 78 percent. That number holds at 79 percent among Republicans, 82 percent among Democrats and 72 percent among Independents. Grid investment isn't a partisan issue. It's a math issue.

Permitting Reform Has a Mandate

Three-quarters of respondents support streamlining the federal permitting process for new energy generation — including nuclear, natural gas, solar and wind — as long as environmental and safety standards are maintained. And 73 percent support streamlining federal transmission permitting when landowner rights are protected. Support is remarkably stable across parties, ranging from 70 to 77 percent regardless of partisan affiliation.

This is exactly what The Western Way has been arguing for years. Whether it's geothermal projects stuck in a decade of BLM review, solar installations waiting on redundant environmental assessments, or transmission lines that take longer to permit than to build, the permitting system is the single biggest obstacle to delivering the affordable, reliable energy that voters are demanding. The poll confirms what the market already knows: the bottleneck isn't capital or technology. It's red tape.

All of the Above Wins

When voters are asked about their preferred energy strategy, the largest group — 35 percent — favors using every available energy source to keep costs low and the lights on. And when presented with a comprehensive framing — an energy policy that uses every available source on a level playing field, modernizes the grid, and lets competition drive costs down — 72 percent agreed.

That's the "all of the above" approach in a single poll number. Not wind versus gas. Not solar versus nuclear. All of them, competing on a level playing field, with a modern grid to move the power where it's needed. It's the same approach that has made states like Utah, Arizona, Nevada and South Dakota some of the most reliable grids in the country, as we documented in our Red State Reliable report earlier this year.

Data Centers Should Pay Their Own Way

One of the poll's most striking findings concerns the surge in electricity demand from AI data centers and large industrial users. An overwhelming 83 percent of respondents — 85 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of Democrats, 87 percent of Independents — support requiring these large users to demonstrate how they will power their operations before receiving permits to build. And 54 percent say the companies themselves, not ratepayers and not the federal government, should bear the cost of upgrading the grid to serve them.

That's a powerful consensus, and it cuts to a concern we hear regularly in Western communities: growth is welcome, but the people who were here first shouldn't be stuck with the bill. If data centers and large industrial users want to plug into the grid, they should be part of the solution — bringing new generation online, investing in transmission and storage, and ensuring that existing ratepayers aren't subsidizing someone else's electricity demand.

An Electoral Issue — Not a Niche One

For candidates and elected officials, the electoral signal is unmistakable. Nearly 80 percent of respondents say a candidate's position on energy affordability and electricity costs is important to their vote. Sixty-four percent say they would be more likely to support a congressional candidate who backs grid modernization and expanded domestic energy production. And 76 percent want their representative to support legislation that speeds up permitting, expands production and modernizes the grid.

Energy isn't a side issue anymore. It's a voting issue — and the voters have made clear which direction they want to go: more production, a better grid, faster permitting and an all-of-the-above strategy that keeps bills down and the lights on.

The Bottom Line

The CEN poll confirms what we see playing out every day across the West. In Utah, 41 utility-scale renewable energy projects represent $8.4 billion in construction and investment. In Nevada, billions of dollars in solar, storage and geothermal development are waiting on federal permits. In Arizona, utilities are adding thousands of megawatts of new capacity because the market demands it. In Colorado, farmers and ranchers are adding energy production to their operations because the economics work.

The poll tells us that voters across the country are ready for the same approach: pragmatic, market-driven energy policy that prioritizes affordability, reliability and American energy independence. The question isn't whether there's a mandate for action. The data make that clear. The question is whether Washington will keep up.

The Mountain West Geothermal Consortium: Four States, One Big Opportunity

This week, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico made it official: the four states are launching the Mountain West Geothermal Consortium, a bipartisan interstate initiative to accelerate the development of geothermal energy across the region.

The announcement came at a Western Governors' Association "Energy Superabundance" workshop in Salt Lake City, with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis leading the rollout. The goal is practical, not aspirational: help states work through the permitting, financing and regulatory barriers that are keeping a proven energy resource from reaching its potential.

And the potential is enormous. The four consortium states currently produce roughly 100 megawatts of geothermal electricity combined. The Department of Energy estimates the U.S. holds 300 gigawatts of geothermal potential — with 75 percent of that resource concentrated in the West. That's not a rounding error. That's roughly equal to the entire U.S. nuclear fleet, sitting beneath our feet in states that already have the workforce, the drilling expertise and the land to develop it.

Why This Matters for the West

Geothermal energy checks every box that should matter to Western policymakers. It delivers reliable, around-the-clock baseload power. It uses the same drilling technologies that made America an oil and gas superpower, which means the skills and supply chains already exist in rural Western communities. And private capital is flooding in: Fervo Energy, which is building the world's largest enhanced geothermal project at Cape Station in Beaver County, Utah, just raised nearly $2 billion in an initial public offering. McKinsey estimates $900 million in private capital has flowed into next-generation geothermal over the past five years, with major tech companies like Google and Meta signing long-term power purchase agreements because they need power they can count on 24 hours a day.

As Zanskar CEO Carl Hoiland put it, Utah is "the heart of the geothermal renaissance." We'd argue the whole Mountain West is.

The Right Approach

What makes the consortium encouraging is its focus on removing barriers rather than picking winners. Michael O'Connor, who will staff the effort, told the Deseret News that the initiative will help developers communicate with utilities about what new resources are coming online, ensure state energy officials understand the latest technological innovations, and work with private sector investors to de-risk new projects. The consortium has also set a 2026 goal to build "high-impact, low-burden interventions" to advance geothermal investment, procurement and regulation across the region.

That's exactly the kind of practical, market-oriented coordination that can unlock billions of dollars in private investment without a single mandate.

It's also bipartisan in the truest sense. Gov. Cox, a Republican who also chairs the Western Governors' Association, said geothermal has "the bipartisan support of an energy source that we haven't had in a long time." Gov. Polis, a Democrat, said the states are leveraging shared resources and expertise to "leap forward on capitalizing on geothermal." When a Republican governor and a Democratic governor are standing together to cut red tape and attract private capital, that's a signal the market fundamentals are real.

Building on Momentum

At The Western Way, we've been tracking the geothermal opportunity closely. Earlier this year, we highlighted a ClearPath report documenting how outdated federal permitting is holding the industry back — including the fact that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 created streamlined permitting for oil and gas exploration but didn't extend it to geothermal, despite using essentially the same drilling technologies. We also covered the International Energy Agency's finding that next-generation geothermal could deliver electricity at around $50 per megawatt-hour by 2035, making it one of the cheapest sources of reliable power available.

The Mountain West Geothermal Consortium is the next logical step: states working together to make sure the regulatory and financial infrastructure keeps pace with the technology and the capital. Gov. Cox's Operation Gigawatt recognizes that Utah needs to double its energy production over the next decade. Geothermal — alongside solar, wind, natural gas, nuclear and battery storage — is a critical piece of that puzzle.

The Bottom Line

The market has made its verdict on geothermal clear. Private capital is moving. The technology is proven. The workforce is ready. The question has always been whether government can get out of its own way fast enough to let the industry deliver. The Mountain West Geothermal Consortium is a promising answer — four states choosing coordination over bureaucracy, and markets over mandates.

The energy business has never been a zero-sum game. This week, four Western governors proved they understand that.

TWW In Action: Dragonfly Energy Tour

This month, The Western Way had the pleasure of partnering with Dragonfly Energy to host a tour of their Reno-based manufacturing facility for a group of Nevada elected officials, including the Lieutenant Governor. The visit offered a firsthand look at one of the most compelling examples of what homegrown energy innovation looks like in the American West — and why Nevada is emerging as a national leader in advanced energy manufacturing.

American-Made, Nevada-Built

Dragonfly Energy is headquartered in Reno and has been designing and manufacturing advanced lithium battery technology in the Silver State since 2012. The company operates nearly 400,000 square feet of manufacturing space in South Reno, where it produces lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery packs under its well-known Battle Born Batteries® brand — along with pioneering work on solid-state battery technology and a patented dry electrode cell manufacturing process that is more efficient, less energy-intensive, and more environmentally friendly than conventional methods.

This isn't a company importing components and slapping on a label. Dragonfly Energy is doing the full spectrum of work — from cell-level R&D to battery pack assembly to complete power system integration — right here in Nevada, with American workers. The company holds approximately 100 granted, filed, and pending patents, has sold over 400,000 battery packs, and counts some of the biggest names in the RV, marine, and heavy-duty trucking industries among its OEM partners.

What the Tour Showed

Walking the manufacturing floor, our group of elected officials saw cutting-edge battery assembly lines, quality control systems, and R&D operations that are pushing the boundaries of domestic battery production. Dragonfly's team walked attendees through the real-world applications of their technology — from powering recreational vehicles and off-grid homes to providing all-electric auxiliary power units for long-haul trucking fleets, reducing fuel waste and emissions while improving driver comfort.

The conversation didn't stop at the technology. It extended to what these operations mean for Nevada's economy: good-paying manufacturing and engineering jobs, workforce development partnerships with institutions like the University of Nevada, Reno and Truckee Meadows Community College, and a growing ecosystem of suppliers and collaborators building out the state's battery supply chain.

Nevada's Lithium Loop

Dragonfly Energy is a key player in what's known as the Nevada Lithium Loop — an ambitious effort to build a complete, closed-loop lithium economy within the state, from extraction and processing to manufacturing and recycling. The initiative, supported by the federal Nevada Tech Hub program, positions Nevada as a globally competitive center for critical minerals and battery production. Dragonfly has been selected for two consecutive rounds of Nevada Tech Hub funding — including a recent $527,000 award to expand in-house cylindrical cell prototyping and advanced testing capabilities — reinforcing the company's role at the center of this growing innovation ecosystem.

This is the kind of market-driven energy development that The Western Way champions across the West. No mandates. No government-directed picking of winners. Just private capital, entrepreneurial vision, and smart public investments in workforce and infrastructure coming together to create an industry that strengthens grid reliability, supports the rural economy, and keeps America competitive in the global energy storage race.

Why It Matters

Energy storage is one of the critical missing pieces in America's energy future. As demand surges from data centers, population growth, electrification, and reshoring of domestic manufacturing, the ability to store and manage energy reliably is becoming just as important as the ability to generate it. Companies like Dragonfly Energy — designing and building that storage capacity on American soil, with American workers and American intellectual property — are exactly the kind of success stories that policymakers should be paying attention to.

We are grateful to the Dragonfly Energy team for their hospitality and for showcasing the kind of homegrown innovation that makes Nevada a national leader. The Western Way is proud to connect elected officials with the people and companies that are building the West's energy future — one factory floor, one breakthrough, and one good-paying job at a time.

Utah's Copper Comeback

On April 27, a copper mine in southeastern Utah roared back to life — and with it, a powerful reminder of what American ingenuity looks like when government gets out of the way and lets the private sector lead.

Mariana Minerals officially resumed production at its Copper One mine in San Juan County, about 40 miles southeast of Moab. But this isn't just a mine reopening. It's the world's first autonomous copper mine, deploying AI-powered drills, robotic haul trucks, and a private 5G network to fundamentally rethink how we extract the critical minerals our country desperately needs.

The previous operator shut the mine down in 2024 due to rising costs and difficulty finding workers — challenges familiar to rural communities across the West. Mariana's answer wasn't a government program or a bailout. It was innovation. By integrating artificial intelligence and autonomous systems across its operations, the company is cutting mining costs by an estimated 50 percent and refining costs by 30 percent, with plans to produce 50,000 tons of refined copper annually by 2030.

Why Copper Matters Now More Than Ever

The U.S. government has officially designated copper as a critical mineral, and for good reason. Copper is the backbone of modern infrastructure — essential for electrical wiring, renewable energy systems, grid modernization, data centers powering the AI revolution, and national defense. Some analysts estimate the world will need to produce more copper in the next decade than it has over the previous century.

Yet despite having substantial domestic copper reserves, the United States still produces only about half the refined copper it consumes, sending much of its raw material overseas — often to China — for processing. Copper prices have surged past $13,000 per ton in 2026, reflecting a tightening global market and growing demand from every sector of the economy.

Projects like Mariana Minerals' Copper One represent exactly the kind of domestic production capacity we need to build if we're serious about energy independence and supply chain security.

A Lifeline for Rural Utah

The economic impact for San Juan County cannot be overstated. County Commissioner Lori Maughan called the mine's reopening "absolutely" an economic booster, pointing to the tax revenue, jobs, and outside talent the project stands to bring to the region.

Many of the mine's previous employees have already been brought back into the revamped operation. Process operations manager James Gill, who has worked at the site since the early 2000s, said the technological upgrades will allow the company to double its copper output. And the ripple effects — from local spending to new housing demand to ancillary service businesses — will extend well beyond the mine gate.

Free Markets

This is the story of energy and mineral development across the rural West: private investment flowing into communities that need it most, creating real economic opportunity without top-down mandates.

Governor Spencer Cox called the mine's reopening "one of the most important" events in the state's history, praising the convergence of cutting-edge technology and critical mineral production. Utah has been aggressively cutting permitting timelines for energy and mineral projects, and the state legislature passed a concurrent resolution this session to establish Utah as a critical minerals hub.

That's the right approach. When state and federal leaders focus on removing barriers rather than picking winners, the private sector responds. Mariana Minerals has already raised $100 million in venture capital — proof that investors are eager to put money into domestic mineral production when the regulatory environment allows it.

As Caldwell put it, a new generation of entrepreneurs is asking the hard question: "Why can't we do more here?"

At The Western Way, we believe the answer is simple: we can — and we must. Projects like Copper One show that with the right mix of innovation, investment, and sensible policy, America can rebuild its industrial capacity, strengthen its supply chains, and deliver real prosperity to the rural communities that make it all possible.

Market, not mandates: Why Arizona needs both nuclear and renewables

This opinion piece from Andy Tobin was first published by the AZ Chamber Business News on March 23, 2026 and can be accessed here.

Market, not mandates: Why Arizona needs both nuclear and renewables

There has been a lot of interest and focus by Arizona policymakers on the environmental virtues of nuclear energy. They are absolutely right: nuclear power is a clean-energy marvel. As a former Corporation Commissioner, I advocated for nuclear as part of the backbone of our energy grid, alongside natural gas. Nuclear’s reliability is unmatched, and its footprint is impressively small. Our Palo Verde Generating Station is a crown jewel of our grid, providing 27% of our state’s electricity.

However, in the world of energy policy, there isn’t a “silver bullet.” We need “silver buckshot.” We don’t have to choose between nuclear and renewables – we need an energy portfolio that includes both. That keeps prices low for Arizonans and meets our skyrocketing energy demand.

The Power of the Market

For those of us who believe in the power of markets, the best news isn’t found in a government mandate – it’s found in the competitive “All-Source RFP” process used by our major utilities. Today, when Arizona needs new power, we don’t pick winners and losers from the Capitol Mall in Phoenix. We let the market decide.

In these processes, technologies compete. What we are seeing is that renewable projects are winning a seat at the table not because of a mandate, but because they are often the most cost-effective way to protect ratepayers’ wallets while meeting our surging energy demands. By 2027, APS intends to add over 6,000 MW of renewable power, integrated with battery storage. SRP is currently developing 2,025 MW of solar – enough to power 450,000 homes.

One important reason why is that utility-scale renewables can be built now. Despite the need and ongoing work to reform federal permitting, advanced nuclear and small modular reactors take years – or decades – to plan, permit, and build.

In contrast, solar and wind projects can be deployed with incredible speed – often in less than 24 months. By embracing renewables today, we get the immediate “juice” our grid demands, while we work together to build the nuclear backbone of tomorrow.

A Diverse Energy Portfolio

The Arizona Corporation Commission recently repealed decades-old renewable mandates, citing the fact that these technologies can now stand on their own two feet in a free market. This is a victory for conservative principles. It shows that renewable energy is no longer a liberal project – it is a business project.

Champions of nuclear power are right that it is cleaner than many realize. But let’s also remember that solar and wind provide stable income for rural ranchers, tax revenue for our local schools, and one way to generate power without exhausting our most precious natural resource: water.

Arizona’s energy future demands a diverse approach – “silver buckshot” not a “silver bullet.” More nuclear, more natural gas, and more renewables. My hope is that we can move past the either/or debates and focus on an all-of-the-above strategy that keeps Arizona’s lights on and economy moving at full speed.

Andy Tobin is president and owner of Tobin Business Solutions LLC and director of The Western Way’s Arizona Rural Energy Network. He served as an Arizona Corporation Commissioner from 2016 to 2019 and represented District 1 at the Arizona Legislature from 2007 to 2015. He served as the speaker of the Arizona House from 2011 to 2014.

Critics of rural energy investment are forgetting how agriculture works

This opinion piece from TWW’s Greg Brophy was first published by The Fence Post on April 1, 2026 and can be accessed here.

Critics of rural energy investment are forgetting how agriculture works

By Greg Brophy

As a former Republican state lawmaker and a farmer from northeast Colorado, I love talking politics. Especially over the past few years, seeing conservative rural values triumph over urban liberal elitism on the national political stage has brought me a lot of joy.

But I have also learned in my professional and personal life that politics isn’t everything. If you start to obsess over it, you can quickly forget who you are, where you’re from, and how to be a good neighbor to those around you.

I bring up this lesson because I’ve seen some disturbing opposition to energy projects in some corners of rural America — opposition fueled by misguided politics rather than facts.

You see, in recent years, a growing number of farmers, ranchers and other property owners in rural America have started adding solar, wind and battery storage projects as a new source of income.

Thanks to these projects, rural landowners can receive lease payments from the generation and sale of electricity while still growing crops, raising livestock, producing oil and natural gas, or pursuing other lines of business.

It’s another way for these landowners to make a living by exercising their private property rights. But even so, pockets of political opposition have started to emerge, with outside parties trying to block permits or otherwise strangle these energy projects in red tape.

One of the leading political arguments against these projects: The electricity that’s being generated here is being consumed in major cities, or someplace else that’s hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

Well, yes, that’s probably true. But the same thing can be said for just about every product grown, raised or produced in a farming or ranching community.

Like I said, when you take politics too far, you can quickly forget who you are, where you come from, and how to be a good neighbor to those around you.

Consider just a few facts from my corner of the country in northeast Colorado.

Colorado is one of the top 10 states for producing wheat. On average, 80% of each year’s crop is exported to the world.

In fact, across the board, Colorado exports roughly $2 billion worth of wheat, beef, dairy and other agricultural products around the world each year, according to the Trump administration.

How about all the oil and gas that’s produced on farms and ranches in Colorado?

Our state produces roughly twice as much oil as it consumes. For natural gas, production is four times greater than state consumption, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Therefore, if farmers and ranchers couldn’t ship their oil and gas outside of our state, their income from oil would collapse by half and their income from natural gas would plummet even further.

These are just a few examples of the reality of life in rural America. We grow agricultural products and we produce energy that will be consumed elsewhere, in big cities or by other countries.

It makes no sense to treat the electricity produced in rural communities any differently. If that standard makes no sense for wheat or beef or oil or gas, then it makes no sense for anything else, plain and simple.

I understand that the national debate over energy has gotten hyper-political. The national media and social media influencers love to portray some energy sources as pro-Republican and other energy sources as pro-Democrat.

To be honest, I believe it started during the Biden administration when fringe environmental groups ramped up their campaign to demonize and eliminate fossil fuels and make renewables holier-than-thou.

But injecting polarized national politics into local permitting decisions — and shredding the private property rights of farmers and ranchers in the process — is badly misguided.

If it was wrong when anti-fracking groups used those tactics against landowners with oil and gas production on their land, then it’s wrong today, too.

Editor’s Note: Brophy is a farmer and former state senator from Wray, Colo.

Powering Pinal County: Getting the Facts on Energy and Taxes

There's been a lot of discussion across Pinal County, AZ about energy development — how personal property taxes from energy projects are assessed, where that revenue goes and what these investments mean for local communities. Some of the conversation has been productive. Some of it has been based on incomplete information.

The Western Way hosted a Lunch & Learn in Florence on March 24 to cut through the noise and put the facts on the table. The event featured a presentation from Arizona economist Jim Rounds of Rounds Consulting Group, followed by a fireside chat and live Q&A with Rounds and land specialist Kirk McCarville, moderated by former Eloy Mayor Micah Powell.

Rounds — one of Arizona's most widely cited economists, a Senior Fellow at the Goldwater Institute and a regular adviser to policymakers at the state capitol — walked attendees through the bigger economic picture: how personal property taxes on energy projects work in Arizona, how accelerated depreciation affects assessed values over time and what the real-world fiscal impact looks like for Pinal County. His previous research has estimated that Arizona's solar industry alone generates $7.3 billion in annual economic output statewide, supports more than 22,000 jobs and delivers $155 million per year in state and local tax revenue.

That's not an abstraction for Pinal County. The county's available land, existing transmission infrastructure and fast-growing demand — driven in part by data centers, manufacturing and population growth — have made it one of the most active regions in the state for utility-scale energy development. That development means construction jobs, ongoing operations employment and a growing stream of property tax revenue funding schools, roads, fire departments and other essential services.

The fireside chat gave attendees a chance to hear directly from McCarville on the land-use side of the equation — how lease agreements work, what landowners can expect and how energy projects fit alongside the agricultural and ranching operations that remain central to Pinal County's identity. Powell, drawing on his experience as a local elected leader, kept the conversation grounded in what matters most to residents: reliable information, transparent process and tangible community benefits.

The live Q&A — open to both in-person and virtual attendees — reflected the level of interest across the county. Residents came with sharp, specific questions about tax assessment methodology, depreciation timelines and how energy revenue compares to other revenue sources. That's exactly the kind of informed conversation these communities deserve.

At The Western Way, we believe energy decisions should be driven by economics and local conditions — not ideology or misinformation. Events like Powering Pinal County are how we put that principle into practice: bringing credible experts to the table, presenting the data clearly and letting communities draw their own conclusions.

The facts speak for themselves. And in Pinal County, the economic case for responsible energy development is strong.

Record-Breaking Energy Storage Growth Is Making the Grid More Reliable

The numbers are in, and the energy storage market just had its biggest year ever.

According to the latest US Energy Storage Monitor from Wood Mackenzie, the United States installed a record 18.9 gigawatts of energy storage in 2025 — a 52 percent increase over the prior year. In total, more than 50 gigawatts of storage capacity has been deployed nationwide since 2019, driven by declining costs, strong market signals and growing demand for reliable power.

This matters for anyone who cares about keeping the lights on.

As we documented in our recent Red State Reliable report, the most reliable power grids in America aren't built on a single energy source — they're built on a diverse mix of generation and storage working together. Battery storage is a critical part of that equation, giving grid operators more tools to manage peak demand, smooth out intermittency and keep electricity affordable.

The growth is no longer concentrated in just a handful of states. Utility-scale storage was installed across 22 states in 2025, signaling continued regional diversification well beyond California and Texas. That's the "all of the above" strategy playing out in real time — private capital deploying storage where the economics make sense, from the Southwest to the Southeast and everywhere in between.

Looking ahead, Wood Mackenzie projects the U.S. will install roughly half a terawatt-hour of new storage capacity between 2026 and 2031 — two and a half times what was deployed in the previous six years. Annual installations are expected to surpass 28 gigawatts by 2031, with utility-scale storage growing an average of 16 percent per year.

The biggest risk to that trajectory? Policy uncertainty. The report flags ongoing questions around supply chain rules, trade barriers and permitting delays as key variables that could swing future deployments by as much as 52 gigawatts in either direction. That's a powerful reminder that market momentum alone isn't enough — smart, stable policy matters too.

Energy storage isn't a niche technology anymore. It's a foundational piece of America's grid infrastructure, and the market is scaling it faster than almost anyone predicted. The question for policymakers isn't whether to support storage — the market has already answered that. The question is whether Washington will keep up.

TWW Breaks Down the UT's Renewable Energy Story on Wildcat Economics

TWW Utah Director and former state legislator Steve Handy sat down with the Wildcat Economics podcast this month to discuss the findings of a major new economic impact study on Utah's utility-scale renewable energy industry — and what the numbers mean for rural communities, grid reliability and the state's energy future.

The study, conducted by the Crossroads Economics Center at Weber State University and commissioned by The Western Way, analyzed 41 utility-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects across the state. The headline: $8.4 billion in construction and investment activity from 2007 through 2028 — real money flowing into real communities, supporting real jobs and generating real tax revenue.

Handy walked listeners through the scale of the economic impact. Construction of these projects has supported more than 34,600 job-years of employment statewide, including roughly 19,300 job-years of direct onsite construction labor. Total construction-period economic output tops $5.2 billion, with $3.1 billion in value added to Utah's economy. And the benefits don't stop when construction wraps — ongoing operations support approximately 1,570 jobs and $244.6 million in economic output on an annual basis.

For rural counties, the fiscal picture is especially compelling. Handy highlighted the estimated $33 million per year in property tax revenue flowing to local governments — funding schools, fire departments and essential services in communities from Beaver County to Box Elder that have historically relied on a narrow economic base. An additional $4 million per year in land lease payments is providing rural landowners with new, stable income streams.

A central theme of the conversation was Utah's market-driven approach. Unlike many states, Utah does not have a mandatory renewable portfolio standard. As Handy emphasized, the growth of solar, wind and geothermal in the state has been driven by economics and local conditions — not government mandates. Since 2015, approximately 94 percent of new electric generating capacity added in Utah has been solar, a reflection of strong solar resources, abundant land and access to transmission infrastructure.

The discussion also touched on two areas of significant growth: battery energy storage and geothermal development. The study documents 1,170 megawatts of installed and planned battery storage capacity in Utah, with storage construction alone supporting an estimated 6,300 job-years and $865 million in economic output. Storage is playing an increasingly important role in grid reliability — giving operators more tools to manage peak demand and smooth out intermittency.

On geothermal, Handy pointed to large projects planned in Beaver County that could substantially increase Utah's baseload renewable generation later this decade. Geothermal uses the same drilling technologies that made America an oil and gas superpower, delivering around-the-clock power with a proven technological foundation — and private capital is taking notice.

All of this feeds into the broader challenge outlined by Gov. Cox's Operation Gigawatt: doubling Utah's energy production over the next decade to meet surging demand from population growth, data centers, manufacturing and more. Renewable energy — alongside natural gas, nuclear, geothermal and other sources — is a critical piece of that puzzle.

As Handy put it during the conversation, the energy business has never been a zero-sum game. Utah is proving that every single day — and the data backs it up.

Read the full study release →

Watch the Podcast:

Geothermal Energy Is Ready to Boom — If Washington Gets Out of the Way

Private capital is flooding into next-generation geothermal. Tech giants are signing long-term power purchase agreements for around-the-clock electricity. Federal lease sales in Utah, Nevada and Idaho are setting revenue records. The market has made its verdict on geothermal energy clear.

The problem? The federal permitting system hasn't caught up.

A new report from ClearPath, A Clear Path for Geothermal Permitting: Cutting Delays, Driving Deployment, documents what's holding this industry back — and offers practical fixes that should appeal to anyone who believes in an "all of the above" energy strategy.

The opportunity is enormous. The U.S. leads the world with roughly 4 gigawatts of installed geothermal capacity, but the Department of Energy estimates next-generation systems could deliver 100 gigawatts by 2050 — roughly equal to the entire U.S. nuclear fleet. McKinsey estimates $900 million in private capital has flowed into next-generation geothermal over the past five years, with more than 780 megawatts of power purchase agreements signed in just the past two.

The demand is real. The technology is ready. So what's the holdup?

More than 90 percent of America's discoverable geothermal resources sit on federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A single geothermal project can trigger up to six separate rounds of environmental review, and DOE's own research found that permitting delays can add five to seven years before a developer can even demonstrate a viable resource. Making matters worse, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 created streamlined permitting for oil and gas exploration — using essentially the same drilling technologies — but didn't extend it to geothermal. Twenty years later, that disparity persists.

Among the ClearPath report's key recommendations:

• Require annual geothermal lease sales. Even the current biennial requirement is routinely missed. California — the nation's largest geothermal producer — went nearly a decade without a competitive lease sale.

• Expand categorical exclusions. BLM's own data shows all 26 geothermal exploration projects it evaluated resulted in no significant environmental impact — yet more than half wouldn't qualify for the current exclusion due to an arbitrary acreage cap.

• Establish a Geothermal Ombudsman and Permitting Task Force to address major inconsistencies across BLM field offices. One parcel offered at a 2023 Utah lease sale was originally nominated in 2008.

• Create dedicated permitting funding for geothermal, similar to what already exists for oil and gas, wind and solar.

These are common-sense reforms that level the playing field. The government shouldn't be picking winners in the energy market — but it shouldn't be picking losers, either. BLM currently has 2.2 gigawatts of new geothermal capacity approved or under review, representing a 56 percent increase over today's installed base. That means construction jobs, property tax revenue for rural counties and reliable, domestically produced baseload power.

The market is speaking. It's time for federal permitting to listen.

Renewable energy is paying off for rural Utah — and the numbers prove it

This opinion piece from TWW’s Steve Handy was originally published in the Deseret News on February 23, 2026 and can be accessed here.

When people think about the economic engines of Utah’s future, they tend to picture Silicon Slopes, the booming Wasatch Front or the tech companies setting up shop along the I-15 corridor. And those are all important. But there’s another economic success story unfolding across the state — one that’s happening in the wide-open spaces of Beaver, Emery, Iron and Millard counties, where utility-scale renewable energy projects are quietly generating billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs.

A new study from the Crossroads Economics Center at Weber State University, commissioned by The Western Way, puts hard numbers on what many in rural Utah already know: Renewable energy development is one of the most significant economic forces in our state’s rural communities. And as policymakers debate the future of energy in Utah and across the West, these are the facts that should be driving the conversation.

Here’s the headline: Over the period from 2007 through 2028, 41 utility-scale renewable energy projects across Utah — solar, wind and geothermal — represent $8.4 billion in construction and investment activity. That’s not a projection or a wish. That’s real money flowing into real communities, paying real workers and generating real tax revenue.

The construction of these projects alone has supported more than 34,600 job-years of employment statewide, including roughly 19,300 job-years of direct onsite construction labor. When you factor in the supply-chain and household-spending effects — the electricians buying groceries, the equipment suppliers hiring staff — the economic ripple extends far beyond the project sites themselves. Total construction-period economic output tops $5.2 billion, with $3.1 billion in value added to Utah’s economy.

And the benefits don’t stop when the last panel is installed. On an annual basis, ongoing operations at these facilities support approximately 1,570 jobs, $244.6 million in economic output and $113.7 million in wages, salaries and benefits. These are stable, recurring contributions to the economy — not one-time windfalls.

For rural counties, the fiscal impact is especially meaningful. The facilities in this study generate an estimated $33 million per year in property tax revenue, funding schools, fire departments and other essential services in communities that have historically relied on a narrow economic base. Add in approximately $4 million per year in land lease payments to rural landowners, and you start to see how renewable energy development is diversifying and strengthening rural economies from Beaver County to Box Elder.

I want to be clear: This isn’t about picking winners or choosing sides in the energy debate. As a fiscal conservative and former state legislator, I believe energy decisions should be driven by economics and local conditions — not ideology. Utah doesn’t have a mandatory renewable portfolio standard. What we have is a state where the economics of solar, wind and geothermal energy simply work, particularly in rural areas with abundant land, strong resources and access to transmission infrastructure.

Since 2015, approximately 94% of new electric generating capacity added in Utah has been solar. That’s not because of a government mandate. It’s because the market is speaking, and solar is competitive. Meanwhile, geothermal energy — which uses the same drilling technologies that made America an oil and gas superpower — is poised for a major expansion, with large projects planned in Beaver County that could substantially increase Utah’s baseload renewable generation later this decade.

The study also documents a growing role for battery energy storage, with 1,170 megawatts of installed and planned storage capacity supporting grid reliability and helping to manage intermittency. Storage construction alone is estimated to support roughly 6,300 additional job-years and $865 million in economic output. This is the “all of the above” approach in action — different technologies working together to keep the lights on and keep costs down.

Gov. Cox’s Operation Gigawatt recognizes that Utah needs to double its energy production over the next decade to meet surging demand from population growth, data centers, manufacturing and more. Renewable energy — alongside natural gas, nuclear, geothermal and other sources — is a critical part of meeting that goal. And as this study makes clear, building out our renewable capacity isn’t just good energy policy. It’s good economic policy, especially for the rural communities that are hosting these projects.

Utah’s approach to energy has always been grounded in pragmatism and results. We don’t have the luxury of treating energy as a political football when families need affordable power and rural communities need good-paying jobs. The data in this study should give every policymaker, county commissioner and community leader the confidence to keep saying yes to responsible energy development — because the economic case is overwhelming.

The energy business has never been a zero-sum game, and in my view it never will be. Utah is proving that every single day.

Steve is a former state legislator and the Utah director for The Western Way, an organization focused on market-competitive solutions to environmental and conservation challenges.

Assemblymember Koenig: Faster federal permitting could unleash Nevada’s multi-billion dollar energy boom

This piece from Nevada Assemblymember Greg Koenig was originally published in the Pahrump Valley Times on February 18th, and can be accessed here.

In the final days of 2025, the Trump administration quietly approved a major solar power and energy storage project on federal land in western Nevada. Despite the low-key rollout, it was really big news.

The $2.3 billion Libra Solar Project had been pulled aside for additional review by President Trump’s Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, raising fears that an important investment in Nevada’s energy infrastructure could be delayed indefinitely.

Thankfully, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo worked with the Trump administration to keep the project moving through the final steps of the permitting process. Military veterans in the state of Nevada also supported the governor’s efforts.

“Solar energy development on federal land fuels Nevada’s economy,” Governor Lombardo wrote in a letter to Secretary Burgum last summer.

The Trump administration’s approval of the 700-megawatt solar and battery storage project will create around 1,000 construction jobs in rural Mineral County over the next two years.

For context, the $2.3 billion investment in Libra Solar is about the same amount of money that was spent building the Las Vegas Sphere. Put another way, in dollar terms, it’s on roughly the same scale as the new baseball stadium that’s being built for the Athletics.

But with continued leadership from Governor Lombardo and the U.S. Interior Department, Libra Solar could be the tip of a very big iceberg.

Nevada has at least nine more solar and storage projects caught up in different stages of federal review, including:

■ Boulder Solar III (Boulder City)

■ Dry Lake East (Clark County)

■ Lone Mountain Solar (Esmeralda County)

■ Nivloc Solar (Esmeralda County)

■ Smoky Valley Solar (Esmeralda County)

■ Red Ridge 1 Solar (Esmeralda County)

■ Red Ridge 2 Solar (Esmeralda County)

■ Esmeralda Energy Center (Esmeralda County)

■ Gold Dust Solar (Esmeralda County)

Taken together, these nine projects represent more than six gigawatts of solar power generation capacity and battery storage.

Using industry-wide cost estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, these projects represent somewhere between $13 billion and $20 billion in construction activity.

For perspective, in dollar terms, that’s the equivalent of building another six to eight Las Vegas Spheres or baseball stadiums.

That’s a huge investment in Nevada’s energy infrastructure.

These projects will harness one of our state’s biggest advantages – abundant sunshine – and leverage state-of-the-art storage technology to allow solar power to be used in the late afternoon and evenings when electricity demand from homes and businesses is highest.

But it’s also a huge investment in rural Nevada, bringing construction jobs and expanding the property tax base for smaller communities in our state.

To be clear, this multi-billion dollar wave of investment depends on the U.S. Interior Department working constructively – pun intended – with Governor Lombardo and other Nevada officials to move these projects across the finish line of the federal permitting process.

You can’t blame the developers and supporters of these projects for being nervous.

As occurred with Libra Solar, officials in the Trump administration want to double-check any preliminary permitting decisions that were made during President Biden’s term related to these planned projects. And where they find problems that need to be fixed, or improvements that can be made, they should absolutely do so.

What should not happen – and in fairness, I do not think will happen – is delay for the sake of delay.

Like many other U.S. states, demand for electricity in Nevada is growing. We need investments in our power grid to keep up with rising demand and maintain reliability. And in Nevada, it only makes sense for large-scale solar and energy storage projects to be a big part of the solution.

Thankfully, the outcome for the Libra Solar Project is a strong signal that other major investments in Nevada’s energy infrastructure can and will move through the federal permitting process.

And when they do get approved, the economic impacts for the state economy will be something to behold.

Assemblymember Gregory S. Koenig is the Republican Assistant Minority Floor Leader North and represents District 38.

New Study: Utah’s Rural Renewable Energy Projects Represent $8.4 Billion in Construction and Investment Activity

The Western Way today released a comprehensive economic impact study showing that utility-scale renewable energy development has become one of the most significant economic forces in Utah’s rural communities, representing $8.4 billion in construction and investment activity from 2007 through 2028.

The study, conducted by the Crossroads Economics Center at Weber State University, analyzed 41 utility-scale solar, wind and geothermal projects across Utah. It found that these projects have supported more than 34,600 job-years of employment statewide, generated $5.2 billion in total construction-period economic output, and added $3.1 billion in value to Utah’s economy.

“Utah doesn’t have a mandatory renewable portfolio standard. What we have is a state where the economics of solar, wind and geothermal energy simply work, particularly in rural areas with abundant land, strong solar resources and access to transmission infrastructure,” said Steve Handy, Utah Director for The Western Way and a former Utah state legislator. “This study puts hard numbers on what many of us in rural Utah already know: Renewable energy is an economic success story for our communities.”

The economic benefits extend well beyond the construction phase. On an annual basis, ongoing operations at these facilities support approximately 1,570 jobs, $244.6 million in economic output and $113.7 million in wages, salaries and benefits – stable, recurring contributions to the economy rather than one-time windfalls.

Key Findings

• $8.4 billion in total construction and investment activity from 41 utility-scale renewable energy projects (2007–2028)

• 34,600 job-years of employment supported statewide, including 19,300 job-years of direct onsite construction labor

• $5.2 billion in total construction-period economic output, with $3.1 billion in value added to Utah’s economy

• 1,570 ongoing jobs supported annually, with $244.6 million in economic output and $113.7 million in wages

• $865 Million in economic output and $556 million in value added from 1,170 MW of energy storage that is installed or planned.

• $33 million per year in property tax revenue funding schools, fire departments and other essential services in rural communities

• $4 million per year in land lease payments to rural landowners

• 94 percent of new electric generating capacity added in Utah since 2015 has been solar – driven by market economics, not government mandates

• 1,170 megawatts of installed and planned battery storage capacity, with storage construction supporting 6,300 additional job-years and $865 million in economic output

Market Economics, Not Mandates

Unlike many states, Utah does not have a mandatory renewable portfolio standard. The growth of renewable energy in the state has been driven by market economics and favorable local conditions, including abundant land, strong solar resources and proximity to transmission infrastructure.

“As a fiscal conservative, I believe energy decisions should be driven by economics and local conditions – not ideology,” Handy said. “The data in this study should give every policymaker, county commissioner and community leader the confidence to keep saying yes to responsible energy development, because the economic case is overwhelming.”

Strengthening Rural Economies

For rural counties that have historically relied on a narrow economic base, the fiscal impact of renewable energy development has been especially meaningful. The $33 million per year in property tax revenue is funding schools, fire departments and other essential services in communities from Beaver County to Box Elder. Land lease payments of approximately $4 million per year are providing rural landowners with additional income streams.

The study also highlights the growing role of battery energy storage, with 1,170 megawatts of installed and planned storage capacity supporting grid reliability and helping manage intermittency. Storage construction alone is estimated to support roughly 6,300 additional job-years and $865 million in economic output.

Supporting an “All of the Above” Energy Strategy

The study’s findings come as Gov. Cox’s Operation Gigawatt seeks to double Utah’s energy production over the next decade to meet surging demand from population growth, data centers, manufacturing and more. Renewable energy – alongside natural gas, nuclear, geothermal and other sources – is a critical part of meeting that goal.

The study further documented the growing potential of geothermal energy in Utah, with large projects planned in Beaver County that could substantially increase the state’s baseload renewable generation later this decade. Geothermal energy uses the same drilling technologies that made America an oil and gas superpower, providing 24/7 power with a proven technological foundation.

“The energy business has never been a zero-sum game, and in my view it never will be,” Handy said. “Utah is proving that every single day.”

The Market Is Speaking — And It’s Saying Geothermal

A new commentary from the International Energy Agency confirms what market signals have been telling us for years: advanced geothermal energy is one of the most promising investment opportunities in the American energy sector — and it’s being driven not by government mandates, but by private capital, technological innovation and surging demand for reliable power.

The IEA’s January 2026 analysis, “Investment in Next-Generation Geothermal Is Surging,” documents a remarkable acceleration of private investment into enhanced geothermal systems — technologies built on the same drilling and hydraulic fracturing expertise that made America an oil and gas superpower. According to the IEA, up to 80 percent of the investment required in a geothermal project involves skills and capacity directly transferable from existing oil and gas operations. That’s not a coincidence. It’s a competitive advantage that American energy workers are uniquely positioned to exploit.

The IEA singled out the U.S. Department of Energy’s FORGE project in Beaver County, Utah — a public-private partnership that has nearly doubled drilling rates in just a few years. FORGE collaborator Fervo Energy, which has raised over a billion dollars in private investment, has achieved drilling speeds that would have been unthinkable a short time ago. Fervo’s Cape Station project in Utah is expected to deliver power starting this year and reach 500 megawatts by 2028, making it the largest enhanced geothermal development in the world. That means hundreds of construction jobs and significant new property tax revenue for a rural community that has historically relied on a narrow economic base.

What’s powering this investment boom? The market. Technology companies like Google and Meta are signing long-term power purchase agreements with geothermal developers because they need reliable, around-the-clock energy to power the data centers essential to America’s dominance in artificial intelligence. These are hard-nosed business decisions by companies that need power they can count on 24 hours a day. Unlike solar and wind, geothermal delivers exactly that — with utilization rates above 75 percent, compared to less than 30 percent for wind and less than 15 percent for solar.

The IEA estimates that with continued cost reductions, geothermal could deliver electricity at around $50 per megawatt-hour by 2035 — making it one of the cheapest sources of reliable, low-emissions power available, competitive with hydro, nuclear and even solar paired with battery storage. That kind of price point isn’t achieved through mandates. It’s achieved through innovation and competition.

This is the “all of the above” energy strategy in action. Geothermal doesn’t replace oil and gas — it extends the same American expertise into a new frontier. It complements other energy sources, strengthens the grid with firm, dispatchable power, and creates jobs in rural communities that need them most. The IEA projects that employment in the geothermal sector could increase sixfold to one million jobs by 2030.

For policymakers, the takeaway is straightforward. The most impactful thing government can do for geothermal is streamline permitting so that projects aren’t stuck in a decade of red tape before a single well is drilled. Continued support for public-private research partnerships like FORGE — and the preservation of tax incentives for emerging technologies in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — keeps the playing field open for the kind of innovation that is already transforming this sector.

The energy business has never been a zero-sum game, and geothermal proves it. The market is speaking. Let’s make sure we’re listening.

Report Release: Rural, Conservative States Lead Nation in Power Grid Reliability

New TWW Report Reveals Rural, Conservative States Lead Nation in Power Grid Reliability with "All-of-the-Above" Energy Strategy

Study shows red states are 2 to 7 times more reliable than national average, with diverse generation stacks ranging from wind dominated South Dakota to natural gas and nuclear heavy Arizona

Denver, CO – January 21, 2026 – The Western Way today released a groundbreaking report showing that rural and conservative-leaning states have some of the most reliable power grids in the United States – and they're achieving this success not by choosing a single energy source, but by embracing a diverse portfolio of generation technologies.

The report, titled "Red State Reliable: How Rural America Is Keeping the Power Grid Stable with a Wide Range of Energy Sources," analyzed 10 states – Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming – and found their grids to be 2 to 7 times more reliable than the national average, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI).

"Sometimes the debate over U.S. energy policy feels more like a shouting match, instead of a factual discussion about how to meet the nation's rapidly growing needs," said Greg Brophy, Rural Energy Network Director of The Western Way. "But outside the competing echo chambers on the left and the right, a quiet success story is unfolding in America's rural – and yes, more politically conservative – communities."

The report reveals there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach to grid reliability. South Dakota, the nation's second most reliable state, generates 58% of its power from wind, while Arizona, ranked third, relies primarily on natural gas (45%) and nuclear (27%). Despite vastly different generation stacks, both states maintain power availability above 99.98% of the time.

"It turns out that keeping the lights on isn't about picking a side. It's about picking all the energy sources that can deliver affordable and reliable electricity based on local conditions," Brophy wrote.

The report comes as the demand for energy is growing at unprecedented levels.  An analysis from the U.S. Department of Energy acknowledges that meeting projected 2030 electricity demand will require 336 gigawatts of new capacity – including significant contributions from wind, solar and battery storage alongside baseload generation.

"The lesson from states like South Dakota and Arizona is that energy decisions cannot be made based on broad-brush national arguments," Brophy noted. "As we face a future of higher demand, no energy source should be sidelined because of rhetoric that doesn't reflect conditions on the ground. A stable power grid requires a mix of energy sources working together as efficiently as possible – in other words, 'all of the above.'"

Key findings from the report include:

• The rural states reviewed achieve 99.95% to 99.99% power reliability, compared to the U.S. average of 99.88%

• States with more renewables like wind and solar can have the same or better reliability than states with more baseload sources like coal and nuclear

• Wind and solar have been successfully integrated into generation stacks without sacrificing reliability, thanks to complementary sources like natural gas and battery storage

• Pursuing a wider range of energy sources enhances reliability by giving grid operators more generation assets to keep the lights on

• Power generation projects should be evaluated based on unique state and local conditions rather than national political debates

"If we truly care about keeping the lights on, let's stop fighting over the "right" kind of energy and embrace the idea of building a grid that uses it all," Brophy concluded.

The full report is available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5734cf71b6aa60fb98e91bf2/t/696ecf139a34ff0e189e5708/1768869651471/TWW_Red+State+Reliable_FINAL+1-19-26.pdf

Skyrocketing growth of energy storage is making the U.S. power grid more reliable

This piece from TWW’s Andy Tobin was published in the AZCentral on January 15, 2026 and can be accessed here.

The business of running America’s power grid is astonishingly complex, for two principal reasons.

First, there are thousands of power plants and millions of miles of transmission and distribution lines, which together serve hundreds of millions of residential and commercial customers.

Second, the amount of electricity being generated at one end of the power grid, and the amount being consumed at the other end of the power grid, must always be equal. This delicate balance must be maintained every second of every hour of every day, or else the power grid will fail. 

Therefore, the professionals who run local, state and regional power systems are constantly working to make sure the right mix of power plants are up and running – and to make sure that transmission and distribution lines can move all that electricity safely from state to state, city to city, block to block, and house to house.

By now, you may be wondering: Wouldn’t those jobs be a little bit easier, and the grid a lot more stable, if you could store electricity and use it later, instead of having to consume it the moment it’s produced?

You’re not alone. In fact, for decades, many power grid professionals and a growing number of technology developers have been working on large-scale battery storage – and that technology is really starting to hit its stride.

In 2018, less than one gigawatt of battery storage was connected to the U.S. power grid. By 2025, however, the U.S. surpassed 30 gigawatts of battery storage capacity. Arizona ranks third in the nation for installed battery storage and is forecasted to almost double our capacity to nearly 8 GW by the end of the year.

And according to energy analytics firm Wood Mackenzie, another 93 gigawatts of battery storage should be built over the next five years across the country.

Some of that growth can be explained by the continuation of tax incentives for energy storage under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. In fact, the Wood Mackenzie forecast jumped by 15% compared to what was expected before the bill passed in the summer of 2025.

But a far bigger driver is the falling cost of battery storage technologies. Most of those technologies are industrial-scale versions of the lithium-ion batteries that power our cell phones, laptops and other everyday electronics.

And for the past decade, the cost of lithium-ion batteries for grid storage has fallen by an average of 8 percent per year. When you look at a wider range of energy storage technologies, the costs fell by 31 percent last year, according to analysts with BloombergNEF.

Not surprisingly, as costs fall, the reliability benefits of energy storage are becoming more appealing to utility companies, businesses and power grid operators.

In fact, a closely watched report on the stability of the North American power grid recently found that “reliability improvements were observed in areas with high concentrations of battery energy storage systems,” even as the wider system was strained by growing demand from data centers and the impacts of severe weather events.

This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Now that electricity demand in America is growing again, power grid operators need as many backup sources as they can get their hands on.

Yes, we need to build the data centers that will keep America dominant in the development of artificial intelligence. And yes, bringing home as much manufacturing capacity from overseas is a must.

But the American public does not – and will never – support the idea of blackouts due to an overburdened power grid. Rather than make do with a limited number of energy sources, they are quite simply demanding more.

This is why the outlook for energy storage, along with many other power sources in America, remains so strong. And, if our leaders have the good sense to follow market signals and some common sense, the end product will be a growing power grid that is more reliable than ever.

Andy Tobin is former speaker of the Arizona House and a former member of the Arizona Corporation Commission. He is president and owner of Tobin Business Solutions LLC and director of The Western Way’s Arizona Rural Energy Network. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter, @Andy_Tobin.

Goodman: Growth, quality of life and energy

This piece from Pinal County, AZ Supervisor Mike Goodman first ran in the Pinal Central on December 26, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Goodman: Growth, quality of life and energy

If you want to understand why our quality of life in Arizona continues to improve while our population continues to grow, energy is a big part of the answer.

For years, local and state officials have been applying Arizona’s pro-business attitude on other economic inputs — such as low taxes, commonsense regulations and a skilled workforce — to the energy that makes businesses run. From nuclear to solar, hydropower to natural gas, Arizona communities have an open attitude toward energy sources, and that makes them a magnet for new investment and jobs.

In just the past few years, Pinal County’s approach to energy has been a major factor in attracting major investments from the likes of LG Energy Solution, Kohler and Procter & Gamble. This approach has also supported the expansion of local small businesses and the creation of good-paying jobs that make communities attractive for working families.

For this reason, planning for future energy needs of our community and the local economy is a major priority for me as a member of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors. Recently, our board held a work session with officials from Arizona Public Service and SRP, the two major power providers for our region. It was a frank discussion about the region’s energy needs and how to go about meeting those needs.

APS is predicting a 40% increase in electricity demand in its service territory over the next six years. For its part, SRP predicts growth of 6% per year over the next decade — roughly double their current levels of demand. There is only one way to hit those kinds of numbers and keep electricity reliable and affordable — build as much new energy infrastructure as you can. And that appears to be what APS and SRP are doing. This includes natural gas turbines and pipelines to keep them supplied with fuel, solar energy and battery storage, and transmission lines to move electricity from where it’s generated to where it’s consumed.

Looking longer term, in the next decade and beyond, it also means a new generation of civilian nuclear reactors that are much smaller than reactors at the Palo Verde station — similar to those that have powered U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and submarines for decades. Nuclear will be another tool in our toolbox as we look to achieve balance in energy production. But in the short-term, both utilities also agreed that keeping the grid stable and electricity affordable will require more solar and battery storage projects.

With an “all of the above” generation mix, solar and battery projects in Arizona “stabilize energy prices” and “strengthen grid stability” by harnessing our state’s abundant sunshine, SRP Senior Manager of Resource Planning Bill McClellan told the board.

We have seen an increase of solar and battery projects in Pinal County, along with other energy-related investments, because we have good existing infrastructure, available land and proximity to some of the state’s most attractive and fastest growing communities.

Besides more reliable and affordable electricity, energy investments also benefit our communities in other ways, especially when it comes to funding essential public services. In Pinal County alone, SRP paid almost $36 million in property taxes last year, which provided funding for schools, fire departments and local law enforcement, among other needs. This is because generation facilities, power lines, electrical substations and other pieces of energy infrastructure have a high dollar value and add significantly to the county’s tax base.

I am hopeful that APS and SRP will more regularly communicate with the public about how fast energy demand is growing and what it will take to meet that demand. I shared that concern with APS and SRP during the work session and I hope they’ll act on it. Too often, it’s left to local officials to explain the merits of a proposed energy project, if they get explained at all. That’s a losing strategy that could cost Pinal County — and the rest of Arizona — its competitive edge. You can hardly blame people for opposing a project when they don’t know how it benefits their community and the rest of the state.

It’s also imperative that new energy developments work with surrounding residents to discuss improvements to roads and infrastructure in the area. These new facilities should preserve our beautiful landscapes and views. There is much that can be done to enhance existing communities and blend in, rather than take away from the environment we are so proud of.

Arizonans are smart and they’re pragmatic. They don’t take their quality of life for granted and they will do what is needed to maintain it. They just need all the relevant facts — and here in Pinal County, we need to deliver those facts to our citizens.

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Mike Goodman, R-San Tan Valley, is a member of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors.

Keeping the lights on starts with fixing how we build

This piece from TWW’s Steve Handy was first published by The Deseret News on December 19, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Opinion: Keeping the lights on starts with fixing how we build

The problem isn’t a lack of investment or innovation. Our current system makes building unnecessarily difficult

Published: Dec 19, 2025

By Steve Handy

Steve is a former state legislator and the Utah director for The Western Way, an organization focused on market-competitive solutions to environmental and conservation challenges.

Energy reliability isn’t something most people think about until it’s gone. Families expect the lights to turn on, the air conditioning to work and their bills to stay within reach. But as demand for power rises and the grid struggles to keep pace, those expectations are harder to meet.

Communities across the country and here in Utah are feeling the strain. Population growth, new industries, the rise of AI and reshoring manufacturing have all pushed energy systems to their limits. Utilities and developers are ready to expand and modernize, but too often, the process for getting projects approved takes much longer than building the projects themselves.

In Utah, Operation Gigawatt is Gov. Cox’s comprehensive strategy to meet this rising demand by doubling the state’s energy production within the next decade. The strategy seeks to leverage an “all-of-the-above” energy portfolio and build out much-needed transmission upgrades.

Just as important as what gets built is how fast it gets built. The problem isn’t a lack of investment or innovation. Our current system makes building unnecessarily difficult. Every major energy project must pass through a maze of overlapping agencies and reviews, each with its own timeline and requirements. Even after meeting every standard, projects can be delayed by lawsuits or paperwork that add little value.

A stronger approach would focus on results instead of procedure. Smart permitting reform would:

• Set clear timelines so decisions come on schedule, not years late.

• Give one agency the responsibility to coordinate reviews and keep projects moving.

• Streamline smaller upgrades to free up resources for larger, high-impact projects.

• Provide a fair but final review process to prevent endless legal delays once standards are met.

These steps wouldn’t weaken oversight but rather would make it work as intended. When projects that meet every rule can move forward with confidence, everyone benefits. New transmission lines can reduce congestion, modern power plants can replace aging facilities and communities can count on steady, affordable energy.

Reliable energy is about more than comfort. It’s about safety and security. Hospitals, schools and emergency services depend on steady power. So do manufacturers, small businesses and the households that keep them running. When the grid falters, it’s not a political problem; it’s a community problem.

Modernizing the permitting process would also help America stay competitive. Other countries are expanding their energy capacity faster than we are simply because their approval systems move with urgency. The longer we wait to update ours, the harder it becomes to meet demand or attract new investment at home.

The government should be part of the solution. By setting clear expectations and reducing duplication, lawmakers can empower private industry to deliver the infrastructure our economy needs. A predictable process encourages competition, creates jobs and saves taxpayers money.

Each state can take the lead. By reforming local permitting laws, state leaders can send a clear message that they’re open for business and ready to build. That means faster upgrades, stronger grids and lower energy costs for families.

Energy reliability should never be taken for granted. It is the foundation of a strong economy and secure communities. Fixing how we permit projects is one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep energy affordable and dependable for the next generation.

It’s time to move past red tape and focus on results. Streamlining the process will help every household, every business and every community keep the lights on.