Utah Gov. Cox Named Western Governors’ Association Chair, Plans Energy Expansion Across 22 States

Utah Governor Spencer Cox has been named chair of the Western Governors' Association, succeeding New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, with a focus on expanding energy abundance across the Western states. Cox's yearlong initiative, "Energy Superabundance: Unlocking Prosperity in the West," aims to address rising energy demand by expanding production, modernizing transmission and storage, and supporting advanced generation technologies to build a more reliable, affordable, and secure grid. The initiative also seeks to overhaul federal regulations that hinder energy production and to leverage bipartisan support and available capital to meet urgent energy needs. Cox's leadership aligns with his state-level strategy "Operation Gigawatt," which targets doubling Utah's energy production in the next decade through resources like geothermal and nuclear energy. The Western Governors' Association under Cox's chairmanship will use its influence to develop policy proposals and lobby Congress to support energy infrastructure development amid increasing power grid demands. This new platform provides Cox a significant opportunity to advance energy policies important both regionally and for Utah's future growth.