This report documents the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) advisory group recommendations to develop a comprehensive and far-sighted policy strategy for transforming the regional energy economy of the Midwest. Some of the recommended policies represent actions that are already in progress in a subset of the states and provinces, while others represent regional positions on key federal policies. In a world of complex and interlinked energy-use and development incentives, there is no way to completely segregate the impacts of state or provincial, regional, and national policies. But the regional MGA partnership brings an unprecedented opportunity for Midwestern states and provinces to learn from and build on others’ experience, and coordinate efforts where synergies exist at a regional scale.
In 2001, the Great Plains Institute (GPI) convened a diverse group of stakeholders and launched its Powering the Plains (PTP) program. From the beginning, PTP turned the energy and climate debate on its head. Instead of focusing primarily on costs, PTP stakeholders also devoted attention to how the Upper Midwest can maximize its economic opportunities in energy and agriculture in a carbon-constrained world.
