The Great Plains Institute recently hosted “Center Out: A Strategy for Climate Success,” a virtual event featuring President & CEO Rolf Nordstrom and a panel of our energy experts discussing how Midwestern states can lead the way in the post-COVID energy landscape.
GPI believes a successful climate strategy must galvanize the center of the country, a heartland of industry, agriculture, innovation, and jobs. Even given the very real challenges of COVID-19, we see a new window of opportunity for a center-out strategy that brings together the Midwestern and Gulf Coast states to lead action toward a zero-carbon economy in the US. “We are hopeful that this center-out approach can give us the speed and scale needed to restore our economy and meet our climate [and] energy goals. To be successful, this center-out strategy requires a mix of local, state-level, and federal action that de-risks clean energy and decarbonization investments,” said Rolf Nordstrom.
Discussing our local and regional work, GPI vice presidents joined together to demonstrate how our four program areas contribute toward this center-out strategy through our work in carbon management, communities, electricity and efficiency, and transportation and fuels. The panel also answered viewer-submitted questions about the future of the industry. Through community support, job creation, coordination of leadership, and utility business reform, they discussed the post-COVID recovery and how Midwestern and Gulf Coast states can lead for lasting change.
The event also featured remarks from Lynn K. Hobbie, executive vice president at Madison Gas and Electric, a utility targeting net-zero carbon electricity by 2050. Hobbie shared her experiences working with GPI and her vision to collaborate on driving policy change to achieve decarbonization.
Watch the full event here:
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