Curtis puts conservative, commonsense values into action in budget bill’s energy deal

This piece from TWW’s Steve Handy first ran in the Deseret News on July 10, 2025, and can be accessed here.

Opinion: Curtis puts conservative, commonsense values into action in budget bill’s energy deal

By Steve Handy

It’s safe to say that just about everything in America has become too political. But one of the most dangerous examples of this trend concerns the nation’s energy sector.

Historically, the federal government’s approach to energy was largely bipartisan. There were disagreements between Democrats and Republicans, to be sure, but both parties generally agreed that reliability and affordability of energy for households and businesses came first.

Likewise, there was broad bipartisan agreement that multi-billion dollar investments in new energy infrastructure need a stable political and regulatory environment. Volatile swings from one election to the next would just see those dollars invested in other countries instead of the United States, threatening the stability of our power grid and our overall energy security.

But during the Biden administration, something changed. President Biden approved a massive expansion of federal tax subsidies for the energy sector, including sources like wind and solar that are already cost competitive and arguably don’t need such policy support. It was designed to please the far-left base of his party, which wants to ban fossil fuels and other forms of energy they do not like — including nuclear — almost overnight.

This triggered an understandable backlash from the conservative base of the Republican party. During the election, activists demanded an immediate repeal of all the energy tax credits that were created or expanded during the Biden administration.

These demands heavily influenced the early drafts of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included an aggressive repeal of these measures and in some cases imposed new tax penalties on renewable energy projects.

But the backlash went too far. Worthy projects that are needed to keep up with rapidly growing energy demand and create thousands of construction jobs were suddenly thrown into jeopardy. Utility companies and grid operators worried the rug would be pulled out from under them.

The damage wasn’t limited to mature wind and solar technologies, either. Emerging technologies like next-generation nuclear power and advanced geothermal energy could have been decimated as well.

This could have badly hurt Utah, which is the epicenter of the nation’s advanced geothermal energy sector.

Geothermal harnesses constant and reliable heat in underground rock formations to generate electricity around the clock.

The advanced geothermal sector is also built on the same technologies and workforce as the oil and natural gas industry. Therefore, if the energy provisions of H.R. 1 went too far, it could have limited future growth and job opportunities for oilfield services companies and their workers.

A balance needed to be struck — and Utah Sen. John Curtis was there to make it happen.

Curtis pushed back against an almost immediate, across-the-board repeal of energy tax incentives that would have cost thousands of jobs and left power grid operators scrambling to keep up with rising electricity demand.

Instead, he helped broker a compromise that would immediately end tax credits for electric vehicles and phase out subsidies for large-scale wind and solar projects over the next two-and-a-half years — allowing projects that are already being built or about to enter construction to be completed in an orderly fashion.

This approach preserved tax incentives for emerging technologies like geothermal, advanced nuclear and carbon capture.

These are technologies that have not been deployed on the same scale as electric vehicles or wind and solar and therefore have a stronger case for some level of federal subsidy — especially because we are in a race against China to deploy these technologies at home and become the world’s leading supplier of these technologies in the global marketplace.

Report ad

The Curtis compromise also prevented a punitive tax on wind and solar projects and provided increased flexibility for residential solar leases, in order to preserve the rights of homeowners to generate electricity on their own properties if they so choose.

As a result, H.R. 1 was a far better piece of legislation, preserving American energy leadership while delivering permanent tax relief for working families, securing the border and strengthening the nation’s military.

No doubt, it would have been easier for Curtis to step back and stay quiet about the unintended consequences of the earlier versions of H.R. 1.

But instead, he stepped forward and showed his colleagues that the energy provisions of the bill needed more work if they wanted to produce a final piece of legislation that was worthy of President Trump’s signature.

In today’s world, that kind of conservative, commonsense lawmaking doesn’t trend on social media or get much attention from the cable news networks. But it’s the kind of lawmaking our country needs, and a prime example of the kind of constructive leadership that Utah brings to the national stage.

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.

JOLT Energy Conference 2025: All-of-the-Above Solutions for Our Energy Future

TWW was proud to sponsor and attend the 2025 JOLT Energy Conference. The event brought together leaders, innovators, and policymakers to Rifle, Colorado last week for two days of robust discussion on America’s energy future. True to its “all-of-the-above” approach, the conference featured a diverse lineup of speakers covering mining, energy poverty, solar, battery storage, geothermal, nuclear, natural gas, and grid management.

A major highlight was the keynote address from Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, who emphasized balanced policies that support economic growth while advancing practical environmental solutions. Sessions ranged from mining’s role in Colorado’s economy to adding nuclear power to the energy mix, showcasing the event’s commitment to energy diversity and affordability for all communities.

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon at the 2025 JOLT Conference

Panels explored training the next generation of energy workers and toured Holy Cross Energy’s solar arrays, while experts discussed deployment of technologies like unconventional coal mine methane capture and battery storage.

The JOLT Energy Conference continues to stand out as the premier gathering promoting “all-of-the-above” energy solutions to ensure America’s energy security, environmental stewardship, and economic prosperity.

How a Small Colorado University Became a National Leader on Geothermal Energy

This piece form TWW’s John Karakoulakis was first published by RealClear Energy on June 25, 2025 and can be accessed here.

How a Small Colorado University Became a National Leader on Geothermal Energy

By John Karakoulakis
June 25, 2025

If you follow national energy policy, you may have noticed that geothermal technology is trending, so to speak.

Geothermal technology harnesses the constant temperature below ground – sometimes hundreds of feet deep, sometimes thousands of feet – to provide energy for heating, cooling and generating electricity.

Geothermal uses many of the same drilling and fracking techniques used in the oil and natural gas industry, and it produces energy consistently around the clock – unlike other renewable sources like wind and solar that are highly weather dependent.

This may explain why the Trump administration is paying so much attention to geothermal as part of its broader energy dominance agenda.

“This is just an awesome resource that's under our feet,” U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told a geothermal energy event held in Washington, D.C. in March. “Let’s work together to better energize our country, improve quality of life, drive [artificial intelligence] innovation, support manufacturing reshoring, and stop rising electricity prices.”

Make no mistake – it’s a good thing that official Washington is paying more attention to geothermal. But like most good ideas in America, it didn’t get started in D.C.

Instead, you can look to the communities of the American West, starting with Grand Junction, Colorado.

More than 15 years ago, Colorado Mesa University started a major geothermal energy program on its campus in Grand Junction. While planning the construction of Dominguez Hall, it’s first new academic building in years – CMU leaders saw an opportunity to change the way the campus met its cooling needs in the summer and its heating needs in the winter.

They identified geothermal heat pumps as the optimal solution for heating, ventilation, and cooling. Starting with a single series of boreholes, drilled to a depth of 500 feet, CMU’s geothermal energy system has expanded into four interconnected borehole fields linked by an 18-inch diameter pipe that snakes across the entire campus.

This “central loop” now serves an area of 1.2 million square feet across 16 buildings. Through Western Colorado’s hot summers and cold winters, the system effectively moves cooled air and heated air between buildings and even within individual rooms to ensure year-round comfort.

But the innovative design doesn’t stop there. When the central geothermal loop accumulates excess heat, it isn’t wasted. Instead, this surplus energy is diverted to CMU’s Olympic-sized swimming pool and the campus irrigation and domestic water systems, which together act as heat sinks.

CMU’s geothermal system now provides a staggering 90% of the energy required to operate its campus buildings. The system currently saves roughly $1.5 million per year in energy costs, and total savings since 2008 stand at almost $16 million. Those cost savings support lower tuition rates and increased scholarships for CMU students.

The CMU system is now viewed as a model, not just for other universities, but for small cities across the country that want to upgrade their cooling and heating systems with cost-saving geothermal technologies.

Another Western community that’s leading the way on geothermal is Milford, Utah.

About 12 miles northeast of town, construction is underway on the Cape Station advanced geothermal plant – a large-scale facility that will use underground heat sources to generate electricity.

Cape Station is scheduled to start sending electricity to the grid in early 2026. With a planned capacity of 500 megawatts, the facility will generate roughly half as much electricity as a large-scale nuclear reactor – making it the largest advanced geothermal project in the world.

In part, the site outside Milford was chosen because of its proximity to a major geothermal research center and the presence of transmission lines that will connect the power plant to major centers of electricity demand.

But another major factor is the region’s oil and natural gas industry, which has the supply chains and skilled workers that can also be applied to advanced geothermal energy projects.

Ronald Reagan once observed that “small towns and townships have always played a vital part in American life.” Hopefully, our current generation of leaders in Washington, D.C. will remember these wise words across a range of issues, energy included.

Governor Cox Unveils ‘Energy Superabundance’ Initiative to Power the West’s Future

At the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) annual meeting in Santa Fe, Utah Governor Spencer Cox launched an ambitious new initiative titled “Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West.” Taking over as WGA Chair from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Cox outlined his vision to address one of the greatest challenges facing the United States today: rapidly growing energy demand.

“It’s been nearly 50 years since we’ve had this kind of moment: rising demand, available capital, and the political will to build,” Governor Cox told fellow governors. “And that’s exactly what we intend to do.”

Meeting Soaring Energy Demand

The initiative comes at a critical time. Experts forecast that U.S. energy demand will rise by over 50% before 2035, driven by the proliferation of artificial intelligence data centers, electric vehicles, and advanced manufacturing. Cox’s campaign seeks to harness this moment by expanding energy production, modernizing outdated transmission infrastructure, and supporting advanced generation technologies, including nuclear and geothermal.

A Regional, Bipartisan Approach

One of the most striking elements of Cox’s plan is its emphasis on regional cooperation across party lines. As he noted, “When you have blue governors working on their delegation and red governors working on their delegation, we could actually get some things accomplished that haven’t been accomplished in a long time.”

The West, home to vast natural resources and innovation hubs, is uniquely positioned to lead. However, Cox and other leaders argue that outdated federal permitting processes and regulatory hurdles have stymied progress for too long. The Energy Superabundance initiative intends to push Congress for permitting reforms to unlock stalled projects and unleash a new era of American energy dominance.

Building on ‘Operation Gigawatt’

In Utah, Cox has already made energy expansion a signature priority through his “Operation Gigawatt” plan, aiming to double the state’s energy production within the next decade. This includes partnerships with Idaho and Wyoming to explore nuclear energy, the launch of a nuclear consortium, and an $8 million investment in identifying future reactor sites.

Through his WGA initiative, Cox hopes to scale these state-level successes across the West, ensuring that the region is prepared for the demands of a high-tech, electrified economy.

What’s Next

The Energy Superabundance campaign will kick off with a governors’ meeting at Idaho National Laboratory this September to explore cutting-edge nuclear research and discuss collaborative solutions. As South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden put it, “I think it’s kind of a perfect scenario to set up a public-private relationship … and get past some of the partisan politics.”

In an era of deep political divides, Cox’s initiative seeks to unite Western states behind a shared goal: building a more reliable, affordable, and secure energy future for America.

Utah’s energy costs are rising. An outdated grid is to blame.

This piece from TWW’s Steve Handy and Davis County, UT Commissioner Bob Stevenson first ran in The Salt Lake Tribune on June 5, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Voices: Utah’s energy costs are rising. An outdated grid is to blame.

The bottom line is simple: Expanding our state’s transmission system will cut energy costs, reduce outages and power our economy for the future.

By Steve Handy and Bob Stevenson | For The Salt Lake Tribune  | June 5, 2025

If your electricity bill has felt more painful lately, you’re not imagining it. Utah families have seen energy costs rise over the past 12 months, with Rocky Mountain Power announcing a rate hike of more than 18% this year alone. And while inflation and supply issues get a lot of the blame, there’s a deeper reason bills are going up — our outdated power grid.

Utah’s transmission infrastructure — like that in much of the U.S. — was built for a different era. Most of our grid was constructed more than 60 years ago, long before the rise of modern appliances, electric vehicles or massive data centers. It simply wasn’t designed for today’s energy demands — or tomorrow’s.

After remaining stagnant for decades, electricity demand is expected to rise nearly 16% across the country over the next five years, with data centers, electric vehicles and onshoring of manufacturing all fueling the surge. In fact, the West is experiencing some of the highest growth rates nationwide.

Yet as demand grows, the grid is failing to keep up. A staggering 2,600 gigawatts of energy — nearly twice the total U.S. electricity generation capacity — is currently waiting to connect to the electric grid, which lacks sufficient transmission infrastructure to carry it to homes and businesses. This includes major solar and wind projects across the Intermountain West that could lower costs for Utah families — if only we had the lines to connect them.

Furthermore, grid congestion — essentially traffic jams on the power highways — forces utilities in Utah to rely on more expensive power sources when cheaper power can’t reach us, especially during peak times like hot summer days or winter cold snaps. This happened in March, when a winter storm knocked out power to thousands of northern Utahns. These costs are then passed along to customers on their electric bills.

But there’s a solution. By expanding and modernizing the transmission grid, we can unlock affordable energy from Utah’s own vast resources and from neighboring states. This would reduce reliance on high-cost power purchases and help stabilize rates.

In fact, a recent study found that strategic transmission investment and expansion across the Western U.S. could reduce generation costs by 32%. For Utahns, this means lower bills and fewer power disruptions.

More transmission also provides better access to domestic energy, creates local jobs, and spurs economic growth in rural communities where new infrastructure is built.

But to realize these benefits, we need policymakers to act. Permitting delays and regulatory red tape have stalled key transmission projects in Utah and across the region. Projects like PacifiCorp’s Gateway South transmission line, which will carry energy from Wyoming into Utah and the broader West, faced years of delay before finally breaking ground.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox understands the importance of expanding transmission to the state’s future. Boosting transmission capacity is a central pillar of his proposed Operation Gigawatt, which aims to double the state’s power production over the next decade. More transmission capacity will ensure the reliable delivery of electricity from both traditional and renewable energy sources.

We need more momentum through initiatives like this. That means accelerating permitting reform, investing in transmission expansion and prioritizing grid improvements in state and federal policy.

The bottom line is simple: Expanding our state’s transmission system will cut energy costs, reduce outages and power our economy for the future. If we act now, we can cut energy costs for all Utahns.

Steve Handy is a former Utah legislator and state director for The Western Way.

Bob Stevenson is a Davis County Commissioner.

TWW Speaks at NACo Western Interstate Region Conference

TWW’s Greg Brophy had the chance to present at the National Association of Counties - Western Interstate Region Conference in Rapid City, SD this week.

Brophy, a farmer and rancher, from Colorado’s Eastern Plains detailed the importance of ensuring that local governments respect the private property rights of their constituents. Brophy referenced TWW’s new white-paper on solar energy development and agriculture land use to show that solar development does not pose any threat to U.S. food production.

Farmers and ranchers who think solar panels make sense on their land will install them. Farmers who don’t, won’t. Anything beyond that is a thinly veiled play for control over farmers and farming communities. Rural communities have had more than enough of that already.

Brophy also talked about the technological and fire safety standard advancements that are making Battery Energy Storage Systems a safe and reliable way to strengthen our grid and keep energy costs low.

TWW Washington D.C. Fly-in and Energy Leadership Summit

TWW was in Washington, D.C. this week meeting with leaders to talk about the importance of maintaining “All of the Above Energy”, permitting reform, and transmission infrastructure buildout at the CRES/CEN fly-in.

TWW with Colorado Congressman Gabe Evans

TWW also attended the CRES Energy Leadership Summit and heard from a variety of elected officials and energy industry leaders talking about the latest in energy policy and technological advances in the sector. The event focused on advancing American-made, all-of-the-above energy strategies to address our nation’s energy, economic and environmental security while enhancing America’s competitive edge.

Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani

Is ‘energy centrism’ taking shape in Colorado?

This piece from TWW Visiting Fellow Simon Lomax, first ran on May 1, 2025 in The Gazette and can be accessed here.

GUEST OPINION: Is ‘energy centrism’ taking shape in Colorado? 

In our two-party political system, we spend most of our time focusing on the differences between Democrats and Republicans. We expect, and often demand, that elected officials stand up to their opponents in the “other” party.

Don’t get me wrong: Principled disagreements between political opponents are a good thing. It takes real courage to face off against an opponent and debate those disagreements on the public stage.

But do you know what takes more courage than standing up to a political opponent? Standing up to your political friends.

To see that kind of courage on display, let’s review two recent moves by elected official in Colorado on a critically important issue for the country — energy policy.

The first move, by Democrats, took place at the state Capitol in Denver.

Rep. Alex Valdez, a Denver Democrat and the former CEO of a rooftop solar company, introduced a bill — HB25-1040 — to designate nuclear power as “clean energy” under state law.

Changing this definition would allow nuclear power plants to contribute to the state’s 2050 goal of 100% zero-carbon electricity, alongside renewable sources such as wind, solar and geothermal.

Colorado hasn’t generated electricity from a nuclear power plant in more than 35 years, after the closure of the Fort St. Vrain reactor — the state’s first and only such facility — in 1989.

However, as the state’s fleet of coal-fired power plants nears retirement, several communities have expressed interest in repowering those sites with new nuclear reactors. Those communities include Pueblo in southern Colorado and Hayden in the state’s northwest.

Besides the production of around-the-clock electricity with zero carbon emissions, nuclear supporters in Colorado point to the jobs that can be filled by former coal plant workers and the boost that new reactor projects will provide to the local tax base for schools and other essential services.

But for many environmental groups — which play a major role in the Democratic coalition — nuclear is an unacceptable option. They believe the technology isn’t safe, costs too much, and could siphon investment from other zero-carbon sources, especially wind and solar.

During public hearings, those environmental groups came out in force. Groups to testify against the bill included the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Green Latinos, Conservation Colorado and Earthjustice.

But Valdez, chair of the House Energy and Environment Committee, stood his ground. Citing expert testimony and other research, he defended nuclear’s safety record — especially the small reactors that have powered Navy vessels for 70 years and the updated small reactor designs that are now being considered for civilian use.

After the bill cleared his committee, it secured bipartisan majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly and was signed by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a fellow Democrat, at the end of March.

The second courageous move on energy policy, by Republicans, took place in Congress.

Two Colorado congressmen, Gabe Evans and Jeff Hurd, joined 19 other House Republicans to defend a series of federal tax incentives for a wide range of energy technologies, including nuclear, wind, solar, carbon capture, geothermal and biofuels.

Some tax breaks have been around in various forms for many years. Others were introduced during the Biden presidency. Taken together, these tax breaks have totaled around $80 billion and spurred private sector investments worth around $500 billion, according to August data from the Rhodium Group, and have been beneficial for Colorado’s economic growth.

Even so, some conservative groups — including the influential Heritage Foundation — are demanding a full repeal.

But Evans and Hurd, whose districts are invested in producing fossil fuels and renewable energy technologies, are pushing back. In a March letter, they joined other Republicans to warn against “disruptive changes to our nation’s energy tax structure” which could “raise energy costs for hard working Americans.”

There is room for reforming the energy tax credits, Evans and Hurd wrote, but those changes should be “conducted in a targeted and pragmatic fashion … without undoing current and future private sector investments.”

With Republicans holding a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, the votes of Evans and Hurd will be important — and possibly decisive — on this issue.

Therefore, standing up to demands by their colleagues for a full repeal is not the easy choice. Far from it.

“They stuck their necks out,” Heather Reams, president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, told The Colorado Sun.

Whether you agree with the policies of Valdez, Evans or Hurd, one thing is clear about their stances on energy — they are willing to reject the political extremes, lead others towards the center and put pragmatic outcomes ahead of ideological victories.

Put another way, these three leaders are staying true to the sensible middle, which is a proud tradition in Colorado politics. Only time will tell if this brand of energy centrism — new in some ways and old in others — starts gaining ground elsewhere.

Simon Lomax is a visiting fellow with The Western Way, a conservative nonprofit that seeks pro-market solutions to environmental challenges. He is a former energy and climate reporter for Bloomberg News and a former congressional fellow with the American Political Science Association.

Arizona Energy Leaders Briefing and Tour

TWW hosted a briefing and tour for Arizona elected officials on April 18th. The briefing portion kicked off the event over breakfast in Casa Grande, near the Saint Energy Center tour site. 

TWW’s Andy Tobin and John Karakoulakis highlighted the record growth in energy needs forecasted by Arizona utilities and highlight of TWW’s recent whitepaper on BESS standards and safety.

Arizona economist Jim Rounds, Rounds Consulting, and author of the recent AZ Economic Impact Study of AZ Renewables followed with a presentation on the report showing how need for energy infrastructure will drive jobs and economic growth in Pinal County and across Arizona. 

Following the briefing, the group drove to NextEra Energy’s Saint Energy site and received a detailed overview from the site operators on how the BESS, the solar panels, and the nearby substation work to provide reliable power for Arizona. Participants learned firsthand about the safety standards and new technology being deployed in Arizona.

New TWW Report Highlights Dramatic Safety Improvements in Long-Duration Battery Storage

The safety profile of battery energy storage systems (BESS), which are used to keep the U.S. power grid stable and prevent costly spikes in real-time electricity prices, has improved by more than 95% in just a few years, according to a new report from The Western Way.

Since 2018, a combination of technological innovation and enhanced safety protocols has dramatically reduced the fire-related risk associated with these critical grid-stabilizing technologies. The new report, “Safety Improvements in Long-Duration Energy Storage: A Summary for Decisionmakers,” provides an overview of the safety regulations and industry practices driving this success story.

“Energy storage facilities are literally keeping the lights on and protecting consumers from costly disruptions to the power grid,” said Greg Brophy, of The Western Way. “And while these facilities are doing this vital work, the data shows they are safe and getting safer every day. Just like all energy infrastructure – including gas stations and electrical substations – grid-scale batteries operate under an overlapping set of regulations and industry practices designed to manage and reduce safety risks, including fires.”

America’s power grid, a complex network of thousands of power plants and millions of miles of transmission lines, faces the constant challenge of balancing electricity supply and demand. This challenge is exacerbated during severe weather events and can lead to volatile electricity prices. Long-duration energy storage offers a vital solution by storing excess energy for later use, enhancing grid reliability and mitigating price spikes.

BESS, the fastest-growing category of energy storage in the U.S., utilizes advanced versions of batteries found in everyday devices. The report highlights a remarkable 97% reduction in failure rates (per installed MWh) between 2018 and 2023, as documented by data collected by the Electric Power Research Institute, the world’s preeminent independent, non-profit energy research and development organization.

Key safety improvements include:

●      Fire retardant materials: Minimizing the risk of fire propagation.

●      Enhanced cooling systems: Maintaining optimal operating temperatures.

●      Thermal barriers: Isolating individual battery cells to prevent cascading failures.

●      Improved storage container design: Enhancing structural integrity and safety.

●      Advanced sensors and early detection systems: Enabling rapid response to abnormalities.

●      Updated fire protection systems: Ensuring effective fire suppression.

This dramatic improvement is attributed to a wave of safety enhancements implemented by battery manufacturers, power companies, regulators, and public safety officials – and continued improvements are expected to reduce this failure rate even further.

When viewed in this light, the continued expansion of energy storage systems under close regulatory scrutiny can be viewed as a net positive for the stability and affordability of the U.S. power grid and the consumers it serves.

Report Link: Safety Improvements in Long-Duration Energy Storage: A Summary for Decisionmakers

Utah’s geothermal resources can lead the way to energy independence for Americans

This piece from TWW’s Steve Handy and managing principal investigator of the Utah FORGE project, Dr. Joseph Moore was first published by the Deseret News and can be accessed here.

Utah’s geothermal resources can lead the way to energy independence for Americans

April 4, 2025, 3:07 p.m. MDT

By Steve Handy, Joseph Moore

America’s next energy revolution isn’t a distant dream; it’s right at our feet. Or to be more accurate, it’s right beneath our feet, in the same geological depths where we currently produce oil and natural gas.

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who knows this industry well, recently spoke at a geothermal event and said that a mature geothermal industry could “better energize our country and improve the quality of life for everyone. It could help enable AI, manufacturing, reshoring and stop the rise of our electricity prices.”

Geothermal energy — a reliable, 24/7 power source — offers a clear path to strengthening our grid, lowering costs and securing true energy independence. Not only that, but geothermal energy also draws on the same oil and gas production technologies that transformed America into a global energy superpower.

For Utah, there’s another reason to be bullish on advanced geothermal: Our state is already a leader in the development of this technology. The Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) — the nation’s leading technology accelerator for advanced geothermal — is located just outside Milford, around 200 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. And Utah ranks third in the nation for geothermal electricity generation after California and Nevada.

Support for geothermal isn’t about fleeting trends or virtue signaling. It’s about leveraging decades of American drilling expertise, refined by advances in hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling and subsurface engineering, to unlock vast domestic energy reserves.

Geothermal provides consistent, always-available power. This reliability is critical for grid stability and national security, ensuring our industries and homes are powered regardless of the weather. Furthermore, geothermal boasts one of the smallest land footprints of any energy source, respecting private property rights and minimizing environmental disruption.

With an estimated 5,000 gigawatts of untapped geothermal capacity, the U.S. has the opportunity to lead the world in this critical energy sector. For scale, that amount of capacity is roughly the same as 5,000 large-scale nuclear power plants, or 50 times the size of the current civilian nuclear power sector in the U.S. today.

Therefore, developing just a fraction of the nation’s geothermal potential would be yet another game changer for America, securing energy independence for decades at least.

We must not squander this advantage. Currently, unnecessary regulatory barriers and a lack of investment in advanced drilling technologies stifle geothermal development. Expanding access to federal lands, streamlining permitting and incentivizing private-sector innovation will unleash our potential, drive down costs and create thousands of high-paying jobs in our energy-rich communities.

We cannot ignore the aggressive geothermal expansion of our global competitors, particularly China. To ensure our energy leadership and independence, we must cut bureaucratic red tape, prioritize domestic energy production and unleash American ingenuity. Geothermal is not just a clean energy solution; it’s a strategic asset, strengthening national security, revitalizing industry and ensuring long-term economic prosperity.

To unlock this potential, Congress must act decisively.

First, we need comprehensive permitting reform to cut red tape and accelerate project timelines, removing the obstacles that hinder private investment. Second, we must maintain technology-neutral tax breaks, like the 45Y and 48E credits, to spur private investment and encourage innovation.

Finally, we must prioritize robust research and development funding to reduce drilling costs and advance next-generation geothermal technologies — like the work that Utah FORGE is doing, but on an even bigger scale.

By adopting these policies, we can unleash domestic energy production, reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries, and cement our position as the global energy leader. This is not about ideology; it’s about securing America’s future — and leveraging Utah’s natural resources and existing strengths to move the nation closer to true energy independence.

America is on the cusp of a technological revolution. With geothermal, we will unleash the power beneath our feet and make our country the envy of the world — again.

Steve Handy is a former Utah legislator and the Utah director for The Western Way. Dr. Joseph Moore is a research professor at the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah and the managing principal investigator of the Utah FORGE project.

In race for energy dominance, geothermal a sleeping giant

This piece from Nevada Assemblywoman Jill Dickman first ran in the Elko Daily Free Press on March 31, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Jill Dickman: In race for energy dominance, geothermal a sleeping giant

Less than 20 years ago, the United States was dangerously dependent on foreign sources of oil and natural gas. Today, we are truly energy independent — and with the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, America is poised to enter a new age of global energy dominance.

Energy dominance will require tapping into a wide range of energy sources, including oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric dams and renewables like wind and solar. But there is another source, largely concentrated in Western states like Nevada, that will also support long-term energy dominance: Advanced geothermal power.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright recently emphasized the importance of advanced geothermal when he said, “The U.S. energy strategy must include next-generation geothermal energy if we are to achieve President Trump's goal of energy abundance and security."

Geothermal energy, derived from the Earth's internal heat, offers a clean, reliable and consistent source of electricity. Not only that, geothermal wells leverage all of the existing expertise and technologies in the oil and gas industry, providing workers in the oil patch even more ways to apply their skills and make a good living for themselves and their families.

Geothermal plants can generate electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This baseload power is crucial for grid stability and reliability, especially as the growth of data centers and the reshoring of manufacturing plants drives up the nation’s demand for electricity.

The existing geothermal industry often relies on relatively shallow sources of hot water and steam in active seismic zones in Nevada and California. While these hydrothermal systems are valuable, advanced geothermal systems are opening vast new possibilities across much wider areas of Nevada and the western United States.

Advanced geothermal technologies can access heat resources in areas previously considered unsuitable for geothermal development. They involve injecting water into hot, dry rock formations deep underground, fracturing the rock to create permeability, and then extracting the heated water to generate electricity.

This expands the geographic potential of geothermal significantly. According to CRES, a think tank focused on energy policy, the U.S. has the potential to build up to 90.5 gigawatts of advanced geothermal plants by 2050.

For scale, 90 gigawatts is only slightly smaller than the current U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants. This could grow geothermal’s share of U.S. electricity generation from less than 1% today to roughly 20%.

But there’s a catch. The vast majority of geothermal resources in the American West are located on federal lands, where permitting has traditionally been slow and subject to constant court challenges.

Part of the problem is that regulatory agencies don’t treat geothermal the same as other energy resources. In fact, it’s easier to get oil and gas production permitting on federal lands than geothermal.

This doesn’t make any sense. Fortunately, the Trump administration can easily include geothermal in its wider agenda of regulatory reform and clear the way for advanced geothermal developers to bring billions of dollars of investment and many thousands of jobs to the communities of the American West.

The geothermal industry would also benefit from maintaining existing technology-neutral tax incentives like the 45Y and 48E credits which have spurred private investment and the prioritization of research and development funding to reduce drilling costs and advance next-generation geothermal technologies.

The time for advanced geothermal energy is now. As our energy demands grow and the need for reliable and secure energy becomes more urgent, geothermal energy offers a compelling solution.

Western states — with their abundant resources, innovative spirit, and strong oil and gas workforces — are ready to lead the way and provide even more support for President Trump’s energy dominance agenda.

Geothermal energy is a giant that’s been asleep for far too long. With help from the Trump administration and Congress, now we can wake it up.

Jill Dickman represents Washoe County's District 31 in the Nevada Assembly. A Republican, she wrote this for the Elko Daily Free Press.

Rep. Gabe Evans leads campaign to restore ‘all of the above’ energy pragmatism

This piece from TWW’s Greg Brophy was first published by the Greeley Tribune on March 19, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Opinion: Greg Brophy: Rep. Gabe Evans leads campaign to restore ‘all of the above’ energy pragmatism

By Greg Brophy

March 19, 2025

Cable news hosts, podcasters and social-media personalities want you to believe that every issue is polarized and highly partisan. Because the more emotional they can make the discussion, the longer they can hold your attention and the more money they can make from advertisers.

Sadly, too many public officials play along with these dishonest tactics. The result: Bad policy outcomes that swing from one extreme to the other, making impossible for businesses and working Americans to plan for the future with confidence.

However, at least when it comes to energy policy, there are new leaders in Washington, D.C., who are trying to break the cycle before it can do more damage to our nation’s security and the cost of living for American families. One of those leaders is Republican Congressman Gabe Evans of Colorado.

Evans, who serves on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, is leading the charge to reform a series of federal tax incentives so they benefit all sources of domestic energy. Some of these tax breaks have existed in one form or another for many years, while others were created during the Biden administration.

But repealing all of these energy tax breaks — as some voices on the political right are demanding — would be a massive mistake, creating uncertainty for the business community and jeopardizing hundreds of billions of dollars of job-creating projects.

Evans and 20 other Republican U.S. House members have publicly called for pragmatic reforms to these tax credits — which include incentives for carbon capture and storage from fossil fuels, energy sources like nuclear and geothermal, and the development of U.S. supply chains and manufacturing capacity for advanced energy technologies.

“Countless American companies are utilizing sector-wide energy tax credits — many of which have enjoyed broad support in Congress — to make major investments in domestic energy production and infrastructure for traditional and renewable energy sources alike,” the Republicans wrote in a March 9 letter to the powerful tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

“As energy demand continues to skyrocket, any modifications that inhibit our ability to deploy new energy production risk sparking an energy crisis in our country, resulting in drastically higher power bills for American families.”

Separately, Evans told the Washington, D.C.-based news outlet Politico: “Common sense tax credits that preserve all-of-the-above options for safe, reliable, and affordable energy are essential to American energy dominance.”

For Evans, “all of the above” isn’t just a slogan — it’s the reality of his district in Colorado, which runs from the northeast suburbs of Denver to the agricultural and energy stronghold of Greeley in Weld County.

Just a few days after his letter urging pragmatic reforms to energy tax breaks, Evans led a tour of major energy facilities in his district.

The first stop was an oil and gas production site located next door to the Greeley-Weld County airport. Operated by the energy firm Bayswater, the site is right in the heart of the Denver-Julesburg Basin — the epicenter of traditional energy production in Colorado.

According to November 2024 data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Colorado is the fourth-largest oil-producing state and the eighth-largest producer of natural gas.

The next stop on the energy tour was just over 10 miles away in LaSalle, where solar energy is being produced right in the thick of the oil and gas-rich DJ Basin. The developer of this project, Pivot Energy, is an industry leader in building solar arrays that are compatible with both crops and livestock — maximizing income for farmers and ranchers while ensuring a stable power grid for consumers.

“In the next 10 years, this part of Weld County is going to need three times as much energy as is available on the grid today,” Evans said while touring the solar site.

The final stop on the tour was a wind turbine manufacturing facility in Brighton. Operated by Vestas, the facility employs 585 workers to build nacelles, which house the generator that converts the energy from a wind turbine’s spinning blades into electricity. About 45 minutes north in Windsor, Vestas operates a separate factory that builds the blades themselves. Vestas has invested over $1 billion in Colorado to create this world leading manufacturing footprint.

Just as businesses and working families in Colorado need a stable energy system, energy producers need stable public policy — and that includes the tax laws under which they operate. It’s just common sense. With leaders like Evans at the helm in Washington, D.C., hopefully common sense will prevail.

Greg Brophy is a farmer from Wray, Colo., and former state senator who served Weld County and northeast Colorado. He is currently the Colorado director of The Western Way. 

Solar Panels and Agricultural Land Use: Get The Facts

 

 

Recent media coverage portraying solar energy development as a threat to agricultural land and food production has no basis in fact, according to a new report from The Western Way.

The report, Solar Panels and Agricultural Land Use: Get The Facts, analyzes the current and future land use needs of the solar energy industry alongside data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other sources. Key findings include:

● Current solar-energy land use is roughly equivalent to the amount of land occupied by golf courses, i.e. one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) of total U.S. land mass.

● Future solar-energy land use will not exceed one-half of one percent (0.5%) of total U.S. land mass, even under the most aggressive growth projections.

● The land-use needs of solar energy – both today and decades from now – will be 100 times smaller than the needs of farmers and ranchers.

● The long-term land-use needs of solar energy are at least 10 times smaller than those of cities, suburbs and towns, which pose much greater competition for the nation’s agricultural land.

“The narrative suggesting a conflict between solar energy and agriculture, pushed by some media outlets, is simply untrue,” said Greg Brophy and Rural Energy Network Director of The Western Way. “The land requirements of the solar industry, both present and future, are relatively small and pose no threat to food production. If there is a threat to agricultural land use, it’s urban sprawl, not energy production.”

“Efforts to restrict farmers and ranchers from leasing their land for solar energy development will not bolster agricultural productivity,” continued Brophy, who is a fourth-generation family farmer and a former Republican state legislator. “Instead, such restrictions will only undermine private property rights, stifle investment and job creation in rural communities, and hinder economic diversification. The bottom line is that farmers and ranchers should have the freedom to decide how best to utilize their land.”

“Those who find solar energy development beneficial will pursue it. Those who don't, won't. Any attempt to control these decisions represents an unwarranted intrusion into the autonomy of farmers, ranchers and rural communities,” Brophy concluded.

Full Report Link

Smarter permitting will benefit energy sources in Utah and boost job creation

This opinion piece from TWW’s Steve Handy first ran in the Deseret News on February 6, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Opinion: Smarter permitting will benefit energy sources in Utah and boost job creation

Published: Feb 6, 2025, 9:01 a.m. MST

By Steve Handy 

Over the past decade, America has rediscovered the importance of domestic energy production and local supply chains for everyday goods.

First, we broke the stranglehold of the OPEC oil and gas cartel and became the world’s dominant energy producer and exporter. Next, we started to bring manufacturing investment and jobs back home after decades of outsourcing to other countries, especially China.

These are encouraging trends, but there is much more work to be done. And one area needing urgent attention is the environmental permitting process for energy and manufacturing projects.

Contrary to the claims of some extreme environmental groups, companies in the energy and manufacturing sectors are highly regulated when it comes to their environmental performance.

They are subject to strict standards and cannot move forward with the construction of new facilities or the expansion of existing facilities without first securing a whole host of permits from various federal and state agencies.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with this. Permitting is an important mechanism for enforcing reasonable environmental protections. But in practice, the permitting process often becomes too complex and time-consuming.

Ironically, this can delay or even cancel new projects and expansions that would actually meet the underlying environmental standards. The process, not the substance, is the problem.

Over the next four years, you can expect the Trump administration and officials in Congress to work on reforms at the federal level to make the permitting process run more smoothly. But there is work to be done at the state level as well.

In fact, a key success milestone of Gov. Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt must include permitting reform at all levels. Here in Utah, state Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo, is pushing positive reforms that would actually expand the lessons learned from oil and natural gas permitting to other areas of our state economy.

Clancy’s legislation, HB85, Environmental Permitting Modifications, would require the state’s Division of Air Quality to study the “permit by rule” approach to oil and gas permitting in Utah and how it could be applied to other regulated sources across the economy. The study would include a review of how “permit by rule” has been used in other states and the potential environmental and economic impacts.

Currently, the bill is making its way through the session and recently passed out of committee. According to Clancy, “The bill will strengthen the work of Gov. Cox’s executive order and mission for enhanced and accelerated infrastructure in Utah.”

The “permit by rule” approach was developed for industries where the equipment and technologies used in different projects are more or less the same. If developers use these technologies, which have their own performance standards set by federal and state regulators, then their project will qualify for a streamlined permitting process.

Given the standardization of technologies and equipment used in oil and gas — from drilling rigs and well heads to pipeline and storage tanks — you can see how this makes sense within that sector. Clancy’s bill would try to find other kinds of projects where this approach makes just as much sense.

Another important provision of Clancy’s bill would simplify the permitting of larger facilities that have to obtain a large number of permits covering major pieces of equipment that are part of their production process.

As equipment ages and new technologies are developed, it makes sense to upgrade or replace it, especially because newer machinery is usually more efficient and better for the environment. But having to start from scratch and obtain new permits for every piece of new or upgraded equipment is often too time-consuming and expensive, which ironically, keeps older equipment in place for longer. Clancy’s legislation would instruct the Division of Air Quality to adopt a different approach — plant-wide applicability limitations — which would simplify and improve this situation dramatically.

In short, instead of looking at individual pieces of equipment, regulators would set an emissions limit for the entire plant. Therefore, equipment changes that keep the plant’s overall emissions within that limit would qualify for a streamlined permitting process.

It’s crucial to emphasize that neither of the reforms in Clancy’s bill would weaken existing air quality standards or criteria. Instead, they aim to reduce approval times, creating a more efficient and predictable permitting process.

While there is no single solution to “permitting reform,” Clancy’s bill represents a common-sense approach that will benefit Utah’s economy without sacrificing our commitment to environmental protection. I urge our legislators to support this important measure.

The Western Way, advocate for market-competitive solutions to environmental and conservation challenges, endorses Clancy’s bill and urges its support and passage.

In Conservative Texas, Energy Storage Systems Deliver Major Cost Savings to Consumers

This piece originally was published by RealClear Energy on January 23, 2025 and can be accessed here.

In Conservative Texas, Energy Storage Systems Deliver Major Cost Savings to Consumers

By Greg Brophy
January 23, 2025

America’s power grid has been described as the largest machine ever built. It consists of more than 7,000 power plants, close to 160,000 miles of high-voltage power lines, and millions of miles of low-voltage lines that bring electricity to homes and businesses.

In many ways, the U.S. power grid is the greatest engineering accomplishment of our age. But since the earliest days of the grid, there’s been a nagging problem – at any given moment, the amount of electricity that’ s being generated across thousands of power plants must be equal to the amount of electricity that’s being consumed by tens of millions of residential, commercial and industrial customers.

 This difficult balancing act is necessary because historically we have lacked the technologies, other than pumped hydro with it’s limitations, to store large amounts of electricity for hours or days after it’s generated by a power plant. The challenge is even more daunting during severe weather events, and it can produce massive spikes in the price of electricity.

 But things are changing. Market forces are bringing new electricity storage technologies to market, and those technologies are making the grid more reliable and preventing costly price spikes.

The best example can be found in Texas, a conservative state that has adopted market-based regulation of its power grid. In recent years, electricity demand in Texas has set new records, and at the same time, the state has been hit hard by cold snaps, heat waves and other severe weather events. 

In 2023, for example, power grid operators issued 11 separate appeals to consumers to limit their electricity use. These actions were needed to make sure the amount of electricity being consumed by homes and businesses did not exceed the generating capacity of power plants on the Texas grid.

But in 2024, even as electricity demand reached a new record, grid operators only issued 2 conservation appeals. What changed to make the grid so much more stable?

According to a new report, one of the biggest changes was the addition of 5 gigawatts of energy storage technologies across the Texas grid. For scale, a typical nuclear power plant has 1 gigawatt of generating capacity, so the build-out of energy storage technologies in Texas in just one year has been prodigious to say the least.

Energy storage facilities currently use very similar battery technology as cell phones or laptop computers, just on a much larger scale. The batteries are charged with surplus electricity during periods of low demand, and then send electricity back to the grid during periods of high demand, which helps keep the grid stable. 

But grid stability isn’t the only benefit of these giant batteries. The report also found that increased availability of energy storage also reduced the cost of electricity by $750 million, as the price spikes that accompany instability on the power grid were avoided.

The reason? According to the report, “batteries are largely charging during the middle of the night and early morning when demand and electricity prices are low,” and they send this low-cost electricity back to the grid in the late afternoon and early evening “when demand and prices [are] greatest.”

The rapid pace of energy-storage construction in Texas has been supported by major safety improvements in battery technologies

For example, standards have changed to increase the distance between battery storage units, which look like large shipping containers. This greatly reduces the risk of a fire in one unit spreading to others.

Likewise, fire-suppression requirements, first responder training, and other strategies have improved as power companies, regulators and public safety officials have gained more experience with large-scale battery technologies.

These and other developments have reduced the failure rate of large-scale batteries by 97% between 2018 and 2023, and battery manufacturers “continues to engage in [research and development] activities to improve prevention and mitigation measures,” according to the Electric Power Research Institute.

In short, grid-scale batteries are not only saving Texans money, but they are also keeping the lights on during periods of high demand. There are clear lessons from this experience for other states, if they are willing to listen.

Greg Brophy is a farmer and former State Senator from Wray, Colorado. He is the Colorado Director of The Western Way. 

More state involvement in power grid upgrades will help keep the lights on and support job growth

This piece from Steve Handy was first published in the Deseret News on January 9, 2025 and can be accessed here.

Opinion: More state involvement in power grid upgrades will help keep the lights on and support job growth

Jan 9, 2025

By Steve Handy

After decades of relatively stagnant growth in electricity consumption, demand is now surging on the U.S. power grid.

According to a recent forecast, U.S. electricity demand will surge 16% over the next five years, which is about three times the rate of growth originally expected. There are several drivers of this trend, including the growth of data centers used for cloud computing and artificial intelligence and the reshoring of manufacturing plants — and jobs — from overseas.

Reports suggest this new era of rapidly increased electricity demand could be similar to the period of growth seen in America after World War II. This calls for major new investments in the nation’s electricity grid, especially long-distance power lines that move electricity from the rural areas where it is mostly produced to the urban areas where it is mostly consumed.

And make no mistake: This simply will not happen without major reforms to the approval process for major transmission line projects. In the past, it has taken as long as 15 years for such projects to navigate the complex federal approvals process. To keep the grid stable while demand continues to surge, we don’t have that kind of time to waste.

Thankfully, there are signs of hope coming from the nation’s capital. In late November, an agency known as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which oversees transmission line projects that cross state lines, approved a bipartisan order to streamline the approval process and ensure greater involvement from the states.

The new directive, known as Order 1920-A, gives states a much bigger voice in the long-term federal planning process for upgrading the nation’s power grid. This is critically important because states have a much better idea about the future energy needs of communities and industries, and most decisions impacting the availability and price of electricity are made at the state level.

The new FERC approval process also allows for a wider range of forecasts on electricity demand to be considered, ensuring a more detailed analysis of future energy needs. And the process of dividing the cost of new transmission lines between the states and customers they serve should be clearer after FERC’s recent action.

By fostering closer collaboration between states, grid operators, transmission line developers and the federal government, FERC will reduce the potential for conflict and confusion that has fueled delays in the past.

The November FERC order also delivered a victory to residential electricity customers and small businesses. In an earlier version, the green energy targets of major corporations would have played an outsized role in determining where new long-distance transmission lines are needed.

But critics, led by Republican FERC Commissioner Mark Christie, pointed out that this would effectively see homeowners and small businesses paying for transmission line projects that didn’t directly benefit them.

In fact, the earlier version of the order could have produced a massive subsidy for corporate green energy goals while “shifting the costs to residential and small-business consumers already struggling to pay their monthly power bills,” Christie said.

Overall, the November order from FERC recognizes that “state utility regulators are the first line of defense for their consumers and must have the authority to protect their consumers from unwarranted or excessive transmission costs,” Christie noted.

These sentiments were echoed by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, a professional body that represents the state-level officials who oversee the electricity sector. “We view these as positive changes and … we will continue to support the ability of states to have an appropriate and needed role in transmission planning and cost allocation,” NARUC said in a statement following the new FERC order.

Too often officials in Washington, D.C., forget that the states created the federal government, not the other way around. That needs to change, especially when it comes to building out the energy infrastructure that our country needs to stay ahead of China and other global competitors.

There is plenty of work to be done, but FERC’s decision to involve states earlier, and more meaningfully, in the construction of major power transmission lines is a positive example that other federal agencies would do well to follow.

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.

How Arizona is quietly planning to keep your lights on

This piece from Andy Tobin was first published by the AZCentral on December 10, 2024, and can be accessed here.

How Arizona is quietly planning to keep your lights on

How does Arizona ensure that we have the energy we need, when we need it? It takes a lot of planning and nixing red tape.

By Andy Tobin

Arizona is a state of immense potential.

Our economy is surging, our population is growing, and our future is bright. But to keep this momentum going, we need a reliable and affordable energy supply for our homes, businesses and industries.

Fortunately, Arizona is taking significant steps to ensure that we have the energy we need, when we need it.

Too often, these milestones go unnoticed because they take place out of the spotlight, in the hallways and hearing rooms of relatively obscure state agencies.

But the recent work of the Arizona Corporation Commission — which oversees the state’s electric power sector — deserves to be recognized.

Utilities are planning for their electricity needs

The commission recently approved Integrated Resource Plans for our major electric utilities, including Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy.

In everyday terms, these are long-term plans that outline how the state’s future electricity needs will be met.

The recently approved plans — as well as a similar plan from Salt River Project, which isn’t regulated by the corporation commission — call for a diverse mix of energy sources over the next 15 years.

That includes renewable energy like solar and wind, as well as traditional sources like natural gas.

Not only that, but there must also be an open bidding process for outside companies to build these new power generation facilities.

3 reasons Arizona needs these kinds of plans

This balanced approach is essential for several reasons.

• First, it ensures reliability. Our state experiences extreme weather conditions, from scorching summers to winter storms. A diverse energy portfolio helps us overcome these challenges and keep the lights on.

• Second, it promotes affordability. By leveraging market competition, through an all-source request for proposals process, our utilities can secure the most cost-effective energy solutions. This helps to keep our electricity rates low, benefiting both households and businesses.

• And third, the planning process also recognizes Arizona’s leadership in the field of battery energy storage. This technology allows solar-powered electricity to be collected during the day and used during the evening and overnight, taking the efficient use of our state’s abundant sunshine as an energy source to a whole new level.

Only Texas and California have more battery storage capacity connected to the power grid than Arizona. This is a major accomplishment for our state when you consider Texas has more than four times the population of Arizona and California has more than five times as many people.

Speed construction to keep energy affordable

The corporation commission’s approach to long-range planning is a testament to Arizona’s forward-thinking approach to energy policy — but it’s important to remember that energy plans are not the same thing as completed energy projects.

To get these projects built and deliver reliable and affordable electricity to the people of our state, we need to improve and streamline the construction permitting process for power lines and other pieces of critical infrastructure.

For months, a bipartisan piece of legislation has been working its way through Congress — the Energy Permitting Reform Act.

The measure would speed permitting and make it harder for extreme environmental groups to use junk lawsuits and other tactics to derail the approval process. 

Permitting reform should be one of the first bills approved by the incoming Congress and President-elect Donald Trump next year.

Arizona must maintain its competitive edge

At the state and local level, officials should also carefully examine their permitting procedures to look for any hidden hurdles or other kinds of unnecessary red tape.

For too long, it’s been much too difficult to build anything in America, and this is another area in which Arizona can show real leadership to the rest of the country. 

Look to the rural energy and economic success story taking place in Pinal County. Thanks to strong planning, a business-friendly climate and low energy prices, the county has attracted world-class manufacturing companies that pay high wages while still maintaining a rural lifestyle.

The priority of efficient, resilient and affordable energy has helped put Pinal County among the best quality of lifestyles in Arizona, if not the country.

The Arizona economy is the envy of the rest of the country, and by investing in new energy facilities and infrastructure, we can help maintain our competitive edge for decades to come.

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.

TWW Visits NREL with Local Elected Leaders

On November 15, 2024, TWW and local elected officials toured the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. The group received briefings from experts in the development of new energy technologies, battery energy storage, transmission and an update on local energy policies and ordinances.

NREL serves as a critical hub for the development and commercialization of cutting-edge renewable energy technologies. By developing and optimizing energy systems (like solar panels, wind turbines, and energy storage solutions), NREL helps reduce costs, increase efficiency, and open new markets for energy solutions, by focusing on the following goals.

1. Private Sector Growth: The lab collaborates with startups, small businesses, and large corporations, providing them with access to research, testing facilities, and expertise. This accelerates innovation and helps companies bring new products to market, fostering entrepreneurship and economic dynamism.

2. Cost Reduction: NREL's research helps lower the costs of renewable energy technologies, making them more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses. This can reduce energy expenses for households and businesses, leading to greater economic efficiency and more disposable income or reinvestment in other areas of the economy.

3. Energy Resilience: The lab also contributes to improving energy infrastructure including transmission, ensuring more resilient energy systems that are less vulnerable to disruptions from natural disasters, cyber-attacks, or supply chain issues.

By doubling power production, Utah is leading the nation out of a looming energy crisis

This piece from TWW’s Steve Handy was originally published in the Deseret News on November 5, 2024 and can be accessed here.

By doubling power production, Utah is leading the nation out of a looming energy crisis

Nov 5, 2024, 1:42 p.m. MST. By Steve Handy

In Utah and across the nation, we face a perfect storm of energy challenges, especially when it comes to the electricity grid. The good news: Utah is rising to the moment and setting an example the rest of the country would do well to follow.

For many years, conventional wisdom held that U.S. electricity demand would remain relatively flat. But those days are over.

Post-pandemic supply-chain worries and changing views on global trade are bringing energy-intensive industries back to the U.S. after decades of offshoring. The rise of cloud computing, data centers and artificial intelligence is also driving up demand for electricity, which is the lifeblood of the digital age.

And while the number of electric vehicles may not be growing as fast as some predictions, those vehicles are also driving up electricity demand.

 Surging demand for electricity, however, is on a collision course with limited supply. The cause: older power plants are being retired, there’s congestion on long-distance power transmission lines and other pieces of essential infrastructure on the grid need to be upgraded or replaced.

Indeed, a recent study looking at transmission needs on the Western grid over the next 20 years found that peak demand will increase 100 GW by 2045. To meet that demand, more than 20,000 additional miles of new transmission will be required along with a $75 billion investment.

Against this backdrop, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox recently announced a plan to double the state’s power generation capacity over the next 10 years. Dubbed Operation Gigawatt, the plan involves the construction of new power generation, adding transmission lines, investments in research and innovation and reforming policies that have restricted the potential of sources like nuclear and geothermal to meet Utah’s electricity needs.

“There is such enormous demand and growth in our state — we need to provide this for the well-being of all Utahns,” said Joel Ferry, the executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources.

To succeed, it will take more than just changes in Utah state law. The active involvement of the federal government will also be necessary, due to the amount of federal land in Utah and the role of federal regulators in overseeing the nation’s power grid.

Thankfully, however, Utah punches well above its weight when it comes to federal energy policy. An excellent example was the recent Conservative Climate Summit hosted by Utah Rep. John Curtis.

A major subject of discussion during the summit was how to bring together different constituencies in a highly polarized political environment to build new power generation facilities, transmission lines and other pieces of key infrastructure.

Expanding and diversifying the power grid promotes competition between energy sources, boosts overall energy security for the country and generates investment, jobs and economic growth.

“You do not have to give up your conservative credentials to be part of this,” Curtis said to his fellow Republicans.

The key is holding “frank discussions” that focus on advanced technologies and a shared belief on the left and the right in clean air, clean water and clean land, he said.

 Politicians and bureaucrats cannot solve this problem on their own, however.

 One energy developer — rPlus Energies, which builds a variety of energy facilities including energy storage systems based on hydroelectric technology — challenged the energy industry itself to highlight what’s at stake for the public if the power grid doesn’t expand fast enough using both traditional and renewable sources.

“I think as an industry, we need to start doing a better job of saying ... (if) you want your lights to stay on reliably, we need this new natural gas plant, or this new solar plant or this new battery,” Luigi Resta, president of rPlus, told the summit.

This kind of pragmatism underpins Utah’s approach to expanding the power grid. When energy demand is rising, there’s room for many different energy sources to grow. It’s not a zero-sum game, as some political actors and ideological groups would have you believe.

Utah’s approach to energy issues is based in reality, not politics — which is why it will work and why the rest of the country would be wise to follow.

Steve Handy 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.