Advanced Energy Perspectives

With the budget sucking up the legislative oxygen in Colorado, AEE hosted an Advanced Energy Lobby Day in Denver, supporting a number of bills that will reshape the state’s energy market, creating significant investment opportunities for a rapidly growing industry here. Like other Western governors, Gov. Jared Polis entered office on the promise of expanding clean energy investments while ensuring a just transition for the communities impacted by the shifting economics of energy. The bills supported by AEE would help him fulfilled that promise. We navigated the Capitol, meeting with legislators between committee hearings and floor votes, communicating the business message on advanced energy. With a little less than a month of session remaining, we push forward on bills that would reduce barriers to EV charging infrastructure, securitization of coal-fired power plants to be retired, and carbon mitigation plans. 

The outcome of the 2018 election cycle has the potential to cause a seismic shift in energy policy. Last year, Advanced Energy Economy and our allies conducted a comprehensive campaign in nine targeted states to engage candidates for governor on the benefits of advanced energy. In seven of the nine states the winning candidates made strong commitments for expanding advanced energy in their states. While it is early in these new administrations, it’s not too soon for a snapshot of what’s happened to date and determine where promises are being kept or broken.

One week after the election, we can confidently say that Americans from all walks of the political spectrum were energized to vote. It was the largest turnout in a midterm election in 50 years, with over 110 million ballots cast across the country. As we look to what this means for the industry, it is clear that Americans want their elected leaders to prioritize advanced energy policy at both the state and federal level. New market and policy opportunities emerge at the state and federal level from the election results. Here are AEE’s top five takeaways on the election and what it means for advanced energy.

AEE and our member companies were busy meeting with gubernatorial candidates in nine states this fall. In Nevada, AEE and our member businesses sat down recently with Democratic nominee Steve Sisolak and his campaign staff to talk about the growth of the advanced energy industry, workforce development opportunities, and how Nevada can continue attracting businesses to the Silver State.

Last week, AEE took a big step toward localizing and personalizing the advanced energy industry in nine states where we are engaged with the campaigns for governor. On web pages for each of the nine states, we posted profiles of employees of AEE member companies in the state and a scorecard where we show the stances of major-party nominees on the advanced energy policy priorities we shared with the campaigns previously, along with fact sheets on advanced energy jobs in the state. With less than two weeks to go in campaign season, this latest step in AEE’s Gubernatorial Engagement effort provides a voter’s guide for all those who work in advanced energy, or care about the economic opportunity advanced energy represents, with updates based on candidate platforms and public statements right up to Election Day.