2011 Chair’s Agenda
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn as the 2011 MGA Chair, selected the following initiative: Advancing the Midwest’s New Energy Economy Through Investment, Innovation and International Trade.
To advance this agenda, Governor Quinn and his fellow Midwestern governors focused on the following three areas:
– Increasing Financial and Human Capital
– Advancing Innovative Technologies
– Increasing Midwestern Exports
The MGA brought together Midwestern leaders from the private and public sectors to forge a strong foundation of regional strategies, solutions and relationships to ensure the Midwest’s sustained economic growth and leadership in the energy economy.
In June 2011, the MGA convened a group of stakeholders to encourage state private and public cooperation and collaboration in policy and economic development in regional energy industries. The meeting, Advancing the Energy Economy in the Midwest: Sustained Coordination and Implementation, resulted in bridging an information and communication gap that is prevalent across state boundaries.
Meeting in Des Moines in September, the MGA explored the region’s successes in working together on transmission planning and development. State regulatory issues, long-term transmission goals and steps to strengthen economic development were among the topics at Transmission Collaboration: Midwestern Current and Future Success.
Also in September, the MGA organized an event – Building Economic and Energy Security in the Heartland: A Midwestern Delegation to the Gulf Coast to Explore Development of the Enhanced Oil Recovery Industry. The gathering was designed to helped participants understand the economic development and job creation opportunities of enhanced oil recovery in the Midwest.
To promote further innovation in the region during Governor Quinn’s term as MGA Chair, the organization:
Convened a working group of industry and state leaders to work on strategies states could consider to ensure Midwestern biofuels remain competitive with other sources of energy;
Commissioned a report on the economic viability of enhanced oil recovery in the Midwest;
Released a series of stories highlighting what Midwestern companies are doing to be more industrial energy efficient; and
Commissioned a report on the economic benefits of industrial energy productivity.