Washington, D.C. – Over the past year, the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA), under the direction of its Chair, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, has undertaken an initiative called MID-GRID 2035 with the goal of establishing a long-term transmission grid vision for the region.
In phase one, participating states met in-person and via conference calls to collaborate on the development of a regional Vision Statement that lays out the benefits of an effective grid, articulates what is needed to achieve the grid vision, and identifies states’ energy policy objectives.
This week, the MGA along with participating states, sent a letter to the chief executive officers of the three regional transmission organizations (RTO)s within the MGA footprint. This letter was signed by Governors Reynolds and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and conveyed the MID-GRID states’ appreciation for the planning work done to date by the RTOs, the impact of the Vision Statement on short-and-long-term planning, and the importance of continued collaboration in the future.
“We appreciate Governor Reynolds’ leadership on the MID-GRID 2035 initiative and thank her and her team for getting this project off to such a good start,” said Jesse Heier, executive director of the MGA. “We look forward to continuing to convene states and stakeholders to discuss transmission planning and help states meet their state energy goals.”
Now in phase two, the MGA has begun to engage more with the stakeholder community and is planning virtual public meetings for this fall and winter. These meetings will be an opportunity for states and stakeholders to engage in discussions on goals and objectives, important regional issues, and cutting-edge topics in the industry. The next MID-GRID event will take place on the morning of October 20th. To register and view the draft meeting agenda, please visit the meeting webpage.
For more information about MID-GRID and upcoming events, please visit http://www.midwesterngovernors.org/Mid-Grid.
