Governors Announce Bipartisan Accord for a New Energy Future

On Feb. 16, a bipartisan group of 17 governors signed the Governors' Accord for a New Energy Future.

The accord represents a joint commitment among both Democratic- and Republican-led states to take action promoting clean energy, better and cleaner transportation choices, a modern electrical grid, and a plan for a new energy economy.

You can read the full accord here, which states, in part:

 “American prosperity has always depended on embracing new ideas and technologies,” the governors state in the Accord for a New Energy Future. “Embracing new energy solutions allows us to expand our economy while protecting the health of our communities and natural resources. These improvements will help secure a safe and prosperous future for our country.

“We recognize that now is the time to embrace a bold vision of the nation’s energy future, and to do so, states are once again poised to lead.”

The coalition of participating states represents 127 million Americans, providing a platform for collaboration, sharing ideas, and leveraging partnerships in energy planning and policymaking.

The bipartisan partnership represents states with a diverse energy mix and policy portfolio. Take Delaware, for example. Its overall energy consumption is low, and it's powered primarily with natural gas. But its per-capita energy usage is unexpectedly high due its energy-intensive oil refining and chemical manufacturing industry. Or Nevada: a state that imports more than 90 percent of the energy it consumes from other states, relying on long-distance energy transmission and working to expand its own energy grid. All are committed to work together to "make transformational policy changes to secure a stronger energy future for their states and the nation," the Accord reads.

With the Accord now officially executed by state leaders, senior advisors from each state will convene to hash out initial steps to put plans into action for energy diversification, expanded sources of clean energy, a modern, resilient energy grid, and cleaner transportation options.

State partnerships such as this one are key to building on the momentum toward a new, resilient and clean energy future.

Image credit: Flickr/Bruce Guenter

This post first published at TDS Environmental Media