Unlocking clean energy abundance in the West: Five pragmatic policy recommendations for Western governors

The policy brief outlines five strategic recommendations for Western U.S. governors to address rising energy demand driven by electrification, industrial reshoring, and AI data centers. It advocates for the deployment of clean firm energy technologies, the acceleration of interstate transmission, the fostering of private investment through policy innovation, the implementation of multi-use public land planning, and the modernization of regulatory frameworks and federal coordination.

• Western states should prioritize 'clean firm energy sources'—non-weather-dependent, zero-carbon power such as advanced nuclear energy, fusion, and superhot rock geothermal—to maintain reliability and reduce emissions. CATF modeling indicates that 1% of U.S. superhot rock geothermal potential could produce 4.3 terawatts of power.
• Transmission bottlenecks have left nearly 700 GW of storage, wind, and solar projects in interconnection queues. To resolve this, governors are encouraged to harmonize permitting rules, create joint cost allocation frameworks, and establish state transmission authorities, similar to those in Colorado and New Mexico.
• To attract private capital and spur deployment, the document suggests avoiding 'de facto bans' on new technologies and implementing innovative policies such as Nevada's Clean Transition Tariff or California's 1 GW clean firm procurement target.
• Regulatory modernization is needed to remove barriers to energy deployment. Examples include Colorado's HB25-1165, which updates geothermal permitting, and the suggestion that states become 'Agreement States' for fusion energy to accept regulatory authority over byproduct materials.

APA

West, D. (2025). Unlocking clean energy abundance in the West: Five pragmatic policy recommendations for Western governors. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2025/09/unlocking-clean-energy-abundance-in-the-west-five-pragmatic-policy-recommendations-for-western-governors/

Chicago

West, Dan. Unlocking clean energy abundance in the West: Five pragmatic policy recommendations for Western governors. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/2025/09/unlocking-clean-energy-abundance-in-the-west-five-pragmatic-policy-recommendations-for-western-governors/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=West |first1=Dan |title=Unlocking clean energy abundance in the West: Five pragmatic policy recommendations for Western governors |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=4 September 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/2025/09/unlocking-clean-energy-abundance-in-the-west-five-pragmatic-policy-recommendations-for-western-governors/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{west2025unlocking, author = {West, Dan}, title = {{Unlocking clean energy abundance in the West: Five pragmatic policy recommendations for Western governors}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://www.catf.us/2025/09/unlocking-clean-energy-abundance-in-the-west-five-pragmatic-policy-recommendations-for-western-governors/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }