In June, Utah Governor Spencer Cox became Chair of the Western Governors’ Association. His Chair Initiative, Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West, will explore how states can expand energy production, transmission, and storage to meet rising demand and achieve true energy abundance across the region.

In this episode of Out West, WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf sits down with Governor Cox to talk about the inspiration and vision behind his new initiative.

You’ll also hear from WGA Policy Advisor Abby Pelsmaeker, who spoke with Emy Lesofski, Director of the Utah Office of Energy Development, to learn more about Utah’s approach to energy innovation—and how it can help seize the opportunities shaping our nation’s energy future.

Finally, you’ll hear from John Wagner, the Laboratory Director at the Idaho National Laboratory, who spoke at the first Energy Superabundance workshop about the unique factors driving today’s nuclear resurgence—one he says is unlike anything he’s seen in his 30-year career.     

Finally, WGA would like to thank our initiative partners: Advanced Energy United; American Clean Power; Amazon Web Services; ClearPath; Deloitte; Idaho National Laboratory; Iron Workers International; JP Morgan Chase; National Hydropower Association; NextEra Energy; Nuclear Energy Institute; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Southwest Power Pool, and Williams Companies.