Washington, D.C. – The Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) today hosted its Phase 2 Kick-Off meeting of the MID-GRID 2035 Initiative. This virtual meeting is part of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ agenda as MGA Chair to help create a more secure and modern electric grid in the Midwest.
“Today was the start of a broader dialogue between states and stakeholders about what the electric grid in the Midwest should look like 15 plus years from now,” said MGA executive director, Jesse Heier. “A secure, optimized and modern transmission grid not only allows the region to deliver low-cost energy, but it enables our Midwestern entrepreneurial spirit to thrive as we develop new technologies and products linked to the grid.“ In Phase 1 of MID-GRID 2035, Gov. Reynolds convened state policy leaders from the MGA region to develop a vision for the grid of the future. This vision statement can be found here. In Phase 2, stakeholders from industry, academia and NGOs will join the conversation. These stakeholders, along with state energy policy leaders, will work to identify key opportunities to achieve the MID-GRID 2035 goals and vision. During today’s meeting, participating state government staff got to share what they have been working on during Phase 1 and stakeholders were able to react to that and provide some high-level feedback on what industry and the broader stakeholder community believe needs to be part of future plans. Please visit www.midwesterngovernors.org/mid-grid for more information about MID-GRID 2035 and this meeting. Should your organization be interested in participating as a sponsor, please contact Jesse Heier via email at [email protected].
### The Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) is a non-profit, bipartisan organization that brings together governors, their staff, and state agencies to address significant public policy issues and provide a vehicle to advocate for them. It focuses its efforts in four primary policy areas: economic development, agriculture, energy, and Midwest branding. Current members of the MGA include Gov. JB Pritzker (IL), Gov. Eric Holcomb (IN), Gov. Kim Reynolds (IA), Gov. Laura Kelly (KS), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Gov. Tim Walz (MN), Gov. Michael Parson (MO), Gov. Pete Ricketts (NE.), Doug Burgum (ND), Gov. Mike DeWine (OH), Gov. Kristi Noem (SD), and Gov. Evers (WI).