Members of the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative (MTEC) this week sent a letter to Congressional leaders outlining a suite of recommendations for how clean transportation investments can support economic recovery, job creation, and provide environmental and public health benefits. Facilitated by GPI, MTEC works to increase electric vehicle (EV) use, build infrastructure to support EV travel, decarbonize the transportation sector, and improve air quality and electric system efficiency. MTEC is composed of representatives from state government, electric utilities and cooperatives, charging companies, and environmental organizations. You can read the collaborative’s full letter below.
July 23, 2020
| The Honorable Mitch McConnell Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 |
The Honorable Chuck Schumer Minority Leader United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 |
| The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 |
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20510 |
Solar energy is not only important to reaching a zero-carbon energy system—solar projects can, with appropriate siting and design, also deliver many benefits to local communities where projects are sited. Deploying the level of solar needed to decarbonize our economy will require addressing siting and regulatory processes which are increasingly a barrier to solar project development. The Great Plains Institute is fostering a new paradigm in the deployment of community- and utility-scale solar development; what we call the co-benefits approach to solar. We’re working with state, regional, and national partners to identify how energy development can both help solve the climate crisis and deliver local benefits to the host community. 
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. 
The Great Plains Institute is launching a 
This blog is one in a series that celebrates the variety of professionals who have been touched by the Great Plains Institute (GPI). Together—GPI’s spring fundraising campaign—showcases people who work in multiple industries and have various constituents and customers, but all play an important role in helping America transform its energy system.
Many wind and solar energy projects in the Midcontinent will face the decision to 
