The bi-national Great Lakes mega-region, home to 107 million Americans and Canadian and center of the United States-Canada economic partnership, enjoys a multitude of shared sectors and socio-economic strengths, as well as integrated assets such as inter-state and cross-border supply chains, transportation corridors, and energy systems between both countries, that connect, unify, and advantage the eight states, from New York to Minnesota, and two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec, that make-up this Region.
Consequently, as a North American and international hub of manufacturing, scientific discovery, and technological innovation, the Region, encompassing the world’s largest freshwater system, is well positioned to leverage its incumbent strengths, assets and natural resources to lead the global and North American clean energy future and capture the full benefits the transition will bring.
This paper, Powering Forward, provides a practical road-map for how the region can lead the way, from regional energy policy harmonization, system planning and investing in cross-border clean energy infrastructure, to greening key freight and passenger transportation corridors and building next generation clean energy technologies and services.
