Polis leads western governors electric push

Geothermal energy will be the top priority for Gov. Jared Polis’ upcoming term as the chair of the 22-member Western Governors’ Association.

The push will seek to establish “actionable items” on how to tap the “heat beneath our feet,” Polis said. That includes efforts states can pursue individually and collaboratively and that the bipartisan governors’ group can push with officials in Washington, D.C.

“The beauty of geothermal electric is, while it can cost money upfront to build, the cost is very close to free for decades,” Polis said. “There’s minimal maintenance, minimal manpower.”

The constant energy put out by the earth has the potential to meet the baseload needs of the state while it works toward 100% clean electricity emissions by 2040, he said. Polis expects the state to hit 80% clean electricity production in 2029 — but going from 80% to 100% will need new energy production and storage.

“Solar and wind are the driving force of all new energy production in our state because they’re simply far less expensive than coal and slightly less expensive than natural gas,” Polis said. “But the question is, when you have solar and wind as a big part of your grid, you need something else for stability, right?”

The push has a uniquely western flavor. Polis pulled up a map on his phone that showed favorable geothermal sites across the country. The east is largely pale, indicating no or minimal favorability for geothermal. It starts to turn orange around Texas and north, up to North Dakota — the easternmost states in the conference — and deepens to a most-favorable red in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho.

Polis will officially take the gavel of the association this week. As chair, he’s able to set a priority for the group. He cited a 2020 initiative by then-chair Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to examine how, and take steps, to best build out electric vehicle infrastructure through the wide-open West as a prior successful initiative.