I am delighted to welcome Drew Henry as the Great Plains Institute’s communications director. Drew will lead GPI’s communications efforts in crafting the organization’s message, elevating our work and the work of our partners, and delivering strategic and tactical support to GPI’s program teams. Continue reading »
The United States must rapidly decarbonize its industrial and energy production sectors to meet its midcentury climate goals, and carbon management is essential to meeting this objective. Carbon management has an important and complementary role alongside other emissions reduction strategies in decarbonizing sectors across our economy while protecting high-wage jobs. Continue reading »
Two years ago this month, Congress passed the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Transportation electrification was one of the priorities in the legislation—electric vehicles and related infrastructure were eligible for $30.7 billion of the funding. We broke down the electric vehicle programs in a previous blog. Continue reading »
The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a historic investment in our nation’s electric grid, with $3.46 billion for projects across the US to “strengthen electric grid resilience and reliability.” The announcement included $464 million to fund a proposal jointly developed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Great Plains Institute, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), and Southwest Power Pool (SPP) for DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program. The project will spur the development of zero-carbon electricity generation across several states by supporting essential transmission infrastructure. Continue reading »
October 17, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—The Great Plains Institute has added three members to its board of directors who represent the organization’s growing and diverse national focus and priorities. Continue reading »
As demand for and development of solar energy rapidly grows, opposition to large-scale solar projects from host community residents and non-energy stakeholders can hinder the solar permitting processes. This opposition is frequently rooted in stakeholders’ concern for natural resources, agricultural practices, local economic base, and rural character. Continue reading »
MINNEAPOLIS—The Great Plains Institute (GPI) released the following statement by President and CEO Rolf Nordstrom on the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of seven regional clean hydrogen hubs selected to receive $7 billion in federal funding:
“Today’s announcement of federally supported hydrogen hubs launches a new opportunity to equitably build a clean hydrogen economy, and GPI looks forward to working with the new hubs to accelerate decarbonization across the economy. GPI is working to enable the development of a robust and equitable clean hydrogen economy to expand our nation’s portfolio of options for decarbonizing some of the hardest-to-decarbonize sectors, such as agriculture, heavy industry, and parts of the transportation sector. Continue reading »
If you ask the average American how many entities they think are involved in designing a complex policy, they’ll likely say: “Many.” We at the Great Plains Institute (GPI) have found that to be true. To design policy to achieve multiple objectives, it’s critical to engage as many of the stakeholders that would be impacted by that legislation as early in the process as possible. Continue reading »
September 28, 2023, MINNEAPOLIS—A first-of-its-kind tool will provide a central hub for Louisiana decision makers and the broader interested public to consider social, environmental, legal, and community data and factors when determining where to locate carbon management projects in the state. Continue reading »
Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), the Minnesota statewide partnership to support community-based clean energy projects, is now accepting applications for seed grants for 2024! Applications are due at noon on October 10, 2023, and projects will be conducted from January 2024 through January 2025. Read the request for proposal for the full criteria and eligibility. Continue reading »
