June 16th, 2007

Powering the Plains Roadmap with Rolf Nordstrom, Program Director for the Great Plains Institute

Most people in North America don't give much thought to where their energy comes from. They just know that when it's dark, cold or hot, they want light, heat and cooling. The engineering marvel that is today s electric grid has delivered all those things, and more, so well that most of us now take them entirely for granted. Unfortunately, that same electric system also faces serious problems. Rising costs, aging infrastructure and global climate change are among the challenges that make an energy transition both necessary and urgent. Over the next half century we must dramatically change the way we produce, distribute and use energy.

How we make this energy transition is as much a social and political decision as it is a technological and economic one. This roadmap summarizes years of stakeholder negotiation about how the Upper Midwest can best position its energy and agriculture sectors to thrive in the future. It is not about picking technology winners and losers or micro-managing the market. Its aim is to illuminate paths forward that look economically and environmentally promising no matter what the future holds. It represents a consensus among leaders from Iowa, Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota on how best to meet this challenge.

Power the Plains