Working Groups 2012 Action Items
Energy PNWER looks at both renewable and energy transmission. Participants in the transmission group explore energy transmission policy and PNWER works to find ways to provide sustainable energy for North America to fuel economic recovery and create a low-carbon future for North America. At the 2012 Summit, PNWER committed to bringing together industry decision-makers in the coal mining and utility sector in the region to support and continued development of the most advanced carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) research facility in the world, the Petroleum Technology Research Centre in Saskatchewan.
2012 Action Items • Continue to seek funding to bring together decision makers to create understanding of and support for CCUS technology and the most advanced global CCUS demonstration project in the world. • Continue to bring together energy policy leaders to examine areas key energy issues. • Explore best practices by PNWER jurisdictions on leasing agreements that would provide annual compensation to states and/or private landowners for infrastructure leases. • Provide examples of cooperation/ collaboration between private sector and government entities on building renewable generation. Assemble a regional document of best practices.
• Seek resources for an analysis to compare cost of electric generation resources with and without incentives in the PNWER region. • Develop a proposal to research foreign ownership of critical energy infrastructure in the U.S. and Canada, and seek funding to conduct an analysis. • Seek resources to develop a comparative study of the benefits of diverse renewable generation resources in the region. • Compile regional natural gas prices and forecasts of future prices. • Encourage individual utilities within the region to cooperate at a higher level with each other in meeting their resource needs. • Hold Energy Storage Coalition Meeting with utility commission directors.
Health Care The Health Care Working Group addresses cross-border issues including: business, technologies and other regional issues related to health-care challenges.
2012 Action Items • Work with states and provinces to continue to examine primary health cost drivers and share best practices on innovative ways to address these issues.
Innovation The competitive landscape of the global economy, coupled with worldwide environmental challenges, is creating unprecedented demand for scientific discovery and innovation. The Pacific Northwest region must channel the strengths of its many separate resources into a collaborative, comprehensive effort that maximizes the economic benefits of regional innovation.
2012 Action Items • Continue to work on the PNWER Innovation Asset Inventory Survey. • Explore nontraditional models of intellectual property management and bring
14 • Pacific NorthWest Economic Region
suggestions to the working group. • Develop policy principles that jurisdictions could adopt for greater innovation collaboration and economic development. • Explore funding options for innovation program.