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.

Utah's 'Operation Gigawatt' Announced

In a significant move towards increased energy development, Utah Governor Spencer Cox recently announced ‘Operation Gigawatt,’ an ambitious initiative aimed at dramatically increasing the state’s energy generating capacity. This announcement marks a pivotal moment for Utah as it seeks to harness its natural resources while addressing the growing demand for all of the above energy.

What is Operation Gigawatt?

Operation Gigawatt is designed to ramp up Utah's renewable energy generation to support both the state's economic growth and its commitment to sustainability. The initiative focuses on developing various forms of renewable energy, including solar, wind, and geothermal, with a target of adding one gigawatt of new capacity over the next several years.

Governor Cox emphasized the importance of this initiative during the announcement, stating, “Operation Gigawatt is not just about increasing our energy output; it’s about leading the way in innovation, creating jobs, and ensuring a cleaner future for our children.”

Goals and Objectives

Operation Gigawatt will secure Utah’s energy abundance through four key goals: 

• Increasing transmission capacity so more power can be placed on the grid and moved to where it’s needed.

• Expanding and developing more energy production. This includes investing in what we currently have while developing new sustainable sources.

• Enhancing Utah’s policies to enable clean, reliable energy like nuclear and geothermal.

• Investing in Utah innovation and research that aligns with our energy policies.

Community and Economic Impact

The announcement of Operation Gigawatt has sparked excitement among local communities and businesses. Stakeholders from various sectors, including energy companies, environmental organizations, and local governments, have expressed their support for the initiative. Many see it as an opportunity to collaborate on projects that not only promote sustainability but also stimulate local economies.

Moreover, educational institutions in Utah are gearing up to prepare the next generation of workers for careers in the renewable energy sector, ensuring that the workforce is equipped with the skills needed to support this initiative.

Nevada: A beacon of innovation

The piece from Assemblywoman Jill Dickman, Assemblyman Rich DeLong, and Assemblyman Ken Gray first ran in the Reno Gazette Jounal on October 24th and can be accessed here.

Nevada: A beacon of innovation

By Assemblywoman Jill Dickman, Assemblyman Rich DeLong, and Assemblyman Ken Gray

As legislative members representing Northern Nevada, we have seen firsthand how our great state has evolved beyond its historical roots in mining and gaming. Today, Nevada stands at the forefront of innovation, creating new opportunities that are driving high-paying jobs for Nevadans across our region and the state at large. Our recent visit to American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) reinforced just how far we’ve come and the bright future that lies ahead.

During our tour of ABTC, we were deeply impressed by their cutting-edge work in battery recycling and lithium-ion battery metals production. The company’s state-of-the-art facilities are dedicated to producing critical battery materials in a sustainable way, which not only supports Nevada’s growing clean energy sector but also enhances our role in the national and global supply chains for advanced technologies. This is a testament to the “Nevada Way” — through innovation and hard work, we are creating industries that lead the future while staying true to the core values that have always defined us.

ABTC's commitment to Nevada goes beyond their technical achievements. We were particularly struck by their focus on local workforce recruitment and development. They have built a strong partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), creating a pipeline of talent that ensures Nevadans are the primary beneficiaries of the jobs being created. Their workforce development program, in collaboration with UNR, not only provides hands-on training for the next generation of workers but also fosters a sustainable growth model for the state’s economy. It’s this type of collaboration between industry, education and government that we have worked tirelessly to support in the Legislature, and we will continue to champion such initiatives.

Nevada is not just about lithium — we are becoming a hub for the innovative technologies that surround and support it. Companies like ABTC are leading the way in battery recycling and looking towards primary critical mineral production, helping to position Nevada as a leader in the clean energy transition. These technologies extend far beyond mining, and they are expanding our state's economy in ways that create long-term stability for generations to come.

Governor Lombardo and his administration have recognized this potential and worked diligently to attract exciting new businesses like ABTC to Nevada. His leadership was on full display at the recent Lithium Summit, which brought together stakeholders from across the country to discuss how we can responsibly harness Nevada's natural resources while fostering sustainable development. The summit was a success, providing a platform for meaningful discussions on how to balance economic growth with environmental stewardship — all for the benefit of Nevada and beyond.

This educational tour, hosted by The Western Way, highlighted how Nevada's forward-thinking policies and partnerships have laid the foundation for growth in sectors that are essential for the future of our state. We were reminded that Nevada is more than just a place of natural beauty and resource wealth — it is a beacon of innovation, where businesses and local communities thrive together.

As we continue to work in the Legislature, we remain committed to fostering these types of collaborations and supporting policies that attract innovative companies to Nevada. Together, with the support of Gov. Lombardo and forward-thinking organizations like American Battery Technology Company, we are shaping a Nevada that goes beyond the past and into a prosperous and dynamic future.

This is the Nevada Way — and we are just getting started.

Jill Dickman represents District 31 in the Nevada Assembly. Rich DeLong represents District 26 in the Nevada Assembly. Ken Gray represents District 39 in the Nevada Assembly.

Gov. Lombardo Holds Inaugural Nevada Lithium Summit

Governor Joe Lombardo hosted the inaugural Nevada Lithium Summit at the end of September to highlight Nevada’s leadership in mining, manufacturing, and recycling of lithium.

The summit sought to harness Nevada's unique position, resources, and expertise to foster collaboration across sectors, promote advanced mining and energy practices, and encourage the development of a complete economy built around the state’s lithium resources. Closing the Lithium Loop aims to position Nevada as a global leader and facilitator in the lithium industry, driving economic growth while ensuring the stewardship of our natural resources for future generations.

Featured speakers included: Joe Lombardo, Governor of Nevada, JB Straubel, CEO of Redwood Materials and Co-Founder/Board Member of Tesla, Inc. and Brian Sandoval, UNR President and former Nevada Governor.

Panels at the summit ranged from addressing Nevada’s infrastructure challenges to innovation based economic development and how to position Nevada as a world-wide leader in the lithium sector.

TWW was proud to join sponsors of the event including Recharge Nevada, Nevada Battery Coalition, Nevada Strategic Growth Initiative, and GOED.

Western Governors Lead During NCEW

The 2024 National Clean Energy Week (NCEW), an annual event celebrating energy innovation, took place from September 23rd to the 27th.

The event brings together policy makers, officials, and industry representatives to discuss the latest technologies, market development, and financing in the energy sector. NCEW has a true “all of the above” focus bringing together experts in nuclear, solar, wind, wave, hydropower, geothermal, natural gas, biomass, carbon capture, storage, and waste-to-energy technologies.  Sponsors of the event range from oil and gas producers like ExxonMobil and Chevron to lithium battery manufacturer Kore Power and the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Western Governor’s in AZ, CO, NV, and UT all signed proclamations this week highlighting their states’ unique and important roles in driving energy innovation and increasing domestic energy production.

Permitting reforms will boost energy jobs and investment in rural America

This opinion piece from TWW’s Steve Handy originally ran in the Deseret News on September 7, 2024 and can be accessed here.

When you think about the economy of rural America, it’s natural to focus on agriculture. But there is more to the story. For example: Farming and ranching communities also have a proud history of energy production — and the importance of this economic activity is rapidly growing.

From oil and natural gas to renewables and next-generation nuclear, rural America is a magnet for energy investment and jobs. But the continued growth of energy production as a “cash crop” for farmers and ranchers is under threat.

The problem is infrastructure. Just as crops and livestock cannot be shipped to market without highways and railroads, the energy produced in rural America needs power transmission lines and other forms of transportation infrastructure to reach consumers in the cities and suburbs.

But as a nation, we aren’t expanding this infrastructure fast enough to keep up with demand. In one infamous case, a recently approved transmission line project — which would connect electricity producers in Colorado and Wyoming to consumers in Nevada and California — was stuck in the federal permitting process for 15 years before getting the go-ahead.

Thankfully, though, a new bill introduced by Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia offers a clear path forward.

The bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act builds on past efforts to streamline the red tape surrounding major infrastructure projects — efforts which held great promise, but have so far fallen short.

For example, the Barrasso-Manchin bill attacks the problem of junk lawsuits from activist groups. Such lawsuits can delay the final approval of project permits for years and, in some cases, pressure investors and developers to walk away from a proposed project completely.

The two lawmakers have proposed a 150-day deadline from the approval of a permit for outside groups to file their lawsuits, and an accelerated schedule for the courts to hear and rule on those lawsuits. In cases where the court sends a permit back to a federal agency for additional study, the Barrasso-Manchin bill also sets a 180-day deadline for a final decision.

Streamlining the litigation connected with federal permitting review will help energy projects of all kinds — from oil and gas drilling to wind farms and solar arrays to the construction of power transmission lines.

The permitting reform bill also includes specific measures for speeding along transmission line projects that cross state lines. These reforms will build stronger connections between the rural communities where electricity is produced and the urban communities where most electricity is consumed — and improve the reliability of the overall power grid.

Additionally, the Barrasso-Manchin bill includes specific measures for the oil and natural gas sector, reflecting their “all-of-the-above” approach to energy policy.

If passed, the permitting reform bill would give the U.S. Department of Energy a 90-day deadline to approve or deny applications for exporting U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) after completing required environmental reviews.

Exports of U.S. LNG have played a crucial role in supporting the economies of European democracies ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But in an effort to please extreme anti-oil and gas groups, the Biden administration imposed a “pause” on future permitting approvals.

This doesn’t just send the wrong signal to our NATO allies — it also threatens real environmental harm by reducing future shipments of U.S. LNG, which is much cleaner than coal or natural gas produced in other countries, to Japan, South Korea and other Asian nations.

The 90-day deadline in the Barrasso-Manchin bill would effectively bring the LNG pause to an end, boosting our nation’s security interests, supporting jobs and investment in oil and gas producing communities and increasing the world’s access to a clean energy source.

Rural communities deserve better than endless red tape. They are ready to produce the energy needed to power our nation, help our allies and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

There is no excuse for inaction, even in the middle of a hotly contested election year. If our leaders are serious about promoting unity instead of division, Congress should move as fast as possible to approve the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act.

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

REPORT RELEASE: The Economic Benefits of Solar Energy in Arizona

REPORT RELEASE: The Economic Benefits of Solar Energy in Arizona

 Casa Grande, AZ– On Friday, August 16th, The Western Way released a new economic impact study focusing on the benefits of utility scale solar development in Arizona.  The economic impact study was prepared by Rounds Consulting Group and was released at the Pinal Partnership Meeting, where Jim Rounds shared the report findings during a panel discussion.

The report found that in 2023 there were over 360 solar companies, including manufacturers, installation businesses, developers, and other ‘solar related’ companies operating in Arizona which generated the following annual economic impacts in Arizona:

• $7.3 billion annual economic output and $2.2 billion in labor income from construction and operational activities

• The industry directly supports 8,300 jobs throughout the state, an additional 2,800 supplier related (indirect) jobs, and 11,200 spending induced jobs for a total of 22,300 jobs. 

• $155.4 Million in state and local tax revenues from the industry’s activity in 2023. This includes personal income, sales, excise, and property taxes, among others. Of that total, local counties received $21.2 million and local municipalities and taxing districts like fire and school districts received $50.7 million.

In addition to the statewide economic impact, the report analyzed the construction and ongoing operations impact of two prospective solar projects in Eloy and Coolidge:

• Case Study #1: A $1.1B solar and energy storage (800MW solar + 800MW BESS) project in Eloy, AZ.

• Case Study #2: A $400M solar and energy storage (150MW solar + 150MW BESS) project in Coolidge, AZ.

“The commitment of these projects to provide reliable energy, rural workforce development, new technology, and economic security to Pinal County sends a strong message that sets us apart from many unprepared communities around the country.” Said Andy Tobin, former Speaker of the Arizona House and Director of The Western Way’s Arizona Rural Energy Network

Link to Report Website  

Link to Fact Sheet

Link to Full Report

Solar Panel Complaints Are the Latest Attack on Private Property Rights for Farmers

This piece from TWW’s Greg Brophy first ran on August 12, 2024 in RealClear Energy and can be accessed here.

Solar Panel Complaints Are the Latest Attack on Private Property Rights for Farmers

By Greg Brophy
August 12, 2024

There are so many things to love about being a farmer. But here’s something I can’t stand – people who pretend to care about our land when they really just want to control our land.

It’s always something. I remember when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tried to expand the Clean Water Act to apply to ditches on private property as a way to seize control over farms. And don’t even get me started on the anti-fracking campaigners who wanted to ban farmers from supplementing their income with oil and natural gas development.

But recently, I’ve started seeing another variation of the same “we know better” attitude towards rural and farming communities. This time around, however, the target happens to be farmers who choose to install solar panels on their land.

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed an increasing number of headlines claiming that America’s most productive farmland is being taken over by solar panels. Not housing developments or shopping malls, which involve the sale and permanent conversion of farmland, but the installation of solar panels – which can co-exist much more easily alongside active farming and ranching operations, and at the end of the life of the facility, the equipment can be pulled and the land returned to full agricultural usage very quickly.

To be sure, the loss of farmland is a legitimate issue that should be closely monitored. But we shouldn’t abandon all common sense when discussing the issue, either.

For example: Between 2017 and 2022, the U.S. lost just over 2% of its active farmland, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture. But over the same period, the value of total U.S. agricultural production jumped by 17% after fully accounting for inflation, which is a testament to “the adaptability of farmers and ranchers,” according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Now let’s get back to those headlines. The narrative of solar panels taking over farmland got a big boost back in April when the financial newswire Reuters tackled the subject.

The story was focused on the Midwest. It revealed that solar leases in the region were paying between 3.5 times to 6 times more per acre in land rents as corn and soybean production, with annual rate increases to boot.

Naturally, farmers who chose to put some land towards solar energy production – and diversify their income in the process – are criticized in the story. In the opinion of “[s]ome agricultural economists and agronomists,” Reuters reported, “taking even small amounts of the best cropland out of production for solar development and damaging valuable topsoil impacts future crop potential in the United States.”

Let’s put aside the question of whether agricultural economists and agronomists know better than farmers when deciding on the most productive use of farmland. Instead, let’s focus on this question: Just how small are the small amounts of farmland being used to harvest solar electricity?

The article cites a study from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy which found that just “0.02% of all cropland in the continental U.S. intersected in some way with large-scale, ground-based solar panel sites.”

I assume “intersected in some way” means something like “on a farm, next to a farm or within sight of a farm.” Two-hundredths of a percentage point of American farmland fitting that description doesn’t strike me as a crisis.

Later, the Reuters story cites another Department of Energy study that shows even under the most aggressive scenarios, solar energy production “is not expected to exceed 5% of any state's land area, except the smallest state of Rhode Island, where it could reach 6.5%, by 2050.”

To make sense of those figures, consider that agriculture currently takes up about 45% of the U.S. land mass. In Colorado, that figure is about 48% and there are states like Nebraska where the percentage of land in agriculture is close to 90%.

If you’re telling me that 25 years from now, solar panels will take up no more than 5% of any given state’s land mass – with the possible exception of Rhode Island – then I’m not seeing a crisis there either.

What I am seeing, however, is yet another effort to second-guess the choices of individual farmers when it comes to managing their own land and making a living from their own land.

And once those choices are called into question, next there’ll be some proposed regulation at the local, state or federal level that takes control away from the people who know the land better than anyone. Don’t fall for it.

For those who see a land-use challenge in the development of solar energy in rural communities, I can tell you the solution: Private property rights.

Farmers 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, and rural communities have had more than enough of that already. 

Greg Brophy is a former state senator and a fourth-generation corn and melon farmer from Wray. He is the Colorado director of The Western Way.

Put politics aside, cut the red tape and allow state regulation of carbon capture projects in Utah

This piece from TWW’s Steve Handy was originally published in the Salt Lake Tribune on July 18, 2024 and can be accessed here.

Opinion: Put politics aside, cut the red tape and allow state regulation of carbon capture projects in Utah

Carbon capture and storage is critical for reducing emissions from power plants and essential for producing climate-friendly fuels.

By Steve Handy | For The Salt Lake Tribune

The debate over energy and climate is often presented as a divisive, hyper-partisan issue. But if you know where to look, there is actually some common ground between conservatives and progressives about the best way forward.

It’s no secret that conservatives support an “all of the above” approach to energy and climate that includes carbon capture and storage technologies for fossil fuels, especially natural gas and coal.

For example, when I served in the Utah Legislature, I sponsored HB244 Geological Carbon Capture Sequestration Amendments to accelerate carbon capture projects here by putting state regulators — not the federal EPA — in charge of permitting. It passed and is now being implemented.

Celebrities Who Have Had Strange Pets

But on the left, you might be surprised to learn that the importance of carbon capture is also recognized by some progressives like Democratic Governor Jared Polis of Colorado.

“I wish it was just as simple as saying there’s going to be more solar and wind,” Governor Polis said last year when signing a bill on state-level regulation of carbon capture. “That gets us to a big part of [net-zero carbon emissions], but for the final piece, if we truly seek to be net zero … we need to look at carbon dioxide removal and carbon capture and sequestration and direct air capture.”

With this level of bipartisan support, you’d think Western states like Utah and Colorado would be racing ahead with carbon capture and storage projects. But that’s not happening, because of — you guessed it — federal red tape.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been inundated with permit applications for deep underground injection wells. These wells are a critically important storage solution for carbon dioxide captured from power plants and factories. Deep injection wells are just as important for the emerging technology of direct air capture, in which carbon dioxide is pulled directly from the atmosphere.

The EPA has approved just four permits for carbon dioxide storage wells, with a backlog of roughly 140 permit applications. Under federal law, there’s a solution for this bottleneck — handing over the lead permitting authority to individual states.

But the EPA has only granted primacy to three states so far — Wyoming, North Dakota and Louisiana.

The Western Governors Association, under the leadership of Republican Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon, is actively working to change this.

In early June, the WGA published a landmark report on carbon capture, which outlines a series of recommendations to clear the permitting backlog.

According to the report, 25 states and Native American tribes are seeking primacy for the permitting of carbon dioxide storage wells, including the state of Utah.

“As more states look to gain primacy, EPA should establish clear and consistent guidelines for obtaining primacy and should increase agency capacity to review state primacy applications in a more timely manner,” the report states.

But speeding up the permitting process for carbon dioxide storage wells isn’t completely in the control of the EPA. Some environmental organizations will also have to overcome their historic opposition to state-led environmental regulation of the energy industry.

For example, shortly after the release of the WGA report, environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the EPA for granting primacy to Louisiana for the permitting of carbon dioxide storage wells. The lawsuit claims EPA’s decision should be overturned because the agency “handed over authority without the required showing that Louisiana has the staff and expertise to safely run the program.”

By taking this legal action, these groups are sending the EPA and state-level regulators a clear message — any efforts to speed up permitting for carbon dioxide storage projects will be opposed. And even if they lose in court, the activist groups will be able to delay the approval of these projects for years as the process of litigation drags out.

These groups need to face reality. Delaying these projects will make the job of reducing emissions harder, not easier.

Carbon capture and storage isn’t just a critical technology for reducing emissions from power plants that currently run on coal and natural gas. It’s also essential for producing climate-friendly fuels like green hydrogen from the West’s abundant natural gas reserves.

Just as important, if activist groups can make the U.S. permitting process for carbon capture and storage projects unworkable, these projects will be pursued in other countries with much, much lower environmental standards than we take for granted in this country.

That isn’t just a bad economic outcome — it’s a bad outcome for the environment too.

Steve Handy is a former Utah legislator and current Utah Director for The Western Way, an organization focused on fiscal, conservative and market-driven solutions to environmental and conservation challenges.

Businesses are driving the expansion of solar energy

This piece from Andy Tobin was first published by the Pinal Central on July 2, 2024 and can be accessed here.

Businesses are driving the expansion of solar energy

By ANDY TOBIN Guest Column

Arizona has one of the strongest economies in the country because we are a pro-business state. But what does that mean in practical terms?

It means that Arizona officials — state and local — have a strong track record of listening to the needs of businesses. Then, we make sure those needs are met, whether it’s low taxes, commonsense regulations, skilled workers or a diverse, secure and affordable energy mix.

That last business need — energy — is becoming more important in some surprising ways.

A growing number of businesses want to play an active role in choosing the energy sources that power their operations. Whether it’s generating their own electricity on site or working with a utility company to pick and choose their preferred sources, these businesses are demanding the freedom to do things their way.

For a good example, look no further than The Home Depot, which opened a new location in San Tan Valley last year. The opening of this new location was eagerly anticipated for years and was a major win for Pinal County.

The Home Depot has an aggressive energy-choice strategy. By the end of this decade, it aims to either produce directly or purchase 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources.

To meet this goal, The Home Depot is pursuing a major construction program for rooftop solar at its stores in Arizona and seven other states. The company already has a mix of solar power and fuel-cell generators at 280 stores nationwide.

The Home Depot is far from alone.

Consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, which is building a manufacturing plant in Coolidge and bringing 500 new jobs to Pinal County, has chosen to power 100% of its global operations with renewable energy by 2030.

The Frito-Lay snack food manufacturing facility in Casa Grande is a major generator of solar power, in line with the company’s choice to power 100% of its plants, offices and distribution centers with renewable energy.

Also in Casa Grande, kitchen and bath products manufacturer Kohler Co. just opened the doors of a newly built plant that will employ 400 people. The company has chosen to power 100% of its North American operations with renewable energy, and in line with that goal, it will install a 21-megawatt solar array and a battery energy storage system on site at the new Pinal County facility.

Then there’s LG Energy Solution. The developer of the massive $5.5 billion battery manufacturing complex in Queen Creek, has specifically cited the growing availability of solar power in Pinal County and the rest of Arizona for choosing to build here.

“There is no better place to build the source of our sustainable energy here in Arizona, where the abundant solar energy surrounds the region,” a senior executive with LG Energy Solution said recently. “Quality batteries, made right here in the Copper State, will reach every corner of America to provide power.”

So, if you are wondering why solar power is expanding so much in Pinal County and the rest of Arizona, the one-word answer is: business.

Business owners in general are demanding more solar power because it’s one of the cheapest sources of electricity on the market — having fallen in cost by more than 80% over the past decade.

And businesses that choose solar are very likely to choose Arizona. Because in addition to all of our economic strengths, our state is one of the best places in the U.S. — and the world — to generate electricity using the power of the sun.

———

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.