2026 Northwest Transmission Summit Digest

In early May, we held our first-ever Northwest Transmission Summit in Boise, Idaho. Stakeholders from around the region, including Tribal, environmental, and community leaders, nonprofits, developers, policymakers, and energy and transmission experts gathered at the Boise Centre for two days to learn, share perspectives, and take action to build our prosperous future.  

Thank you so much to Renewable Northwest who partnered on the planning of the summit and co-sponsored the event. Thank you to our sponsors:

Thank you to our speakers, to the Boise Centre for hosting, to everyone who attended, and to our community partners who helped us spread the word about the event.  

We are so grateful for the diverse perspectives, insights, and deep engagement everyone brought to this summit. We recorded all of the panel discussions and have linked them below in case you missed the conference or want to dive in again.  

What We Learned

At the end of day two, our Senior Policy Associate and event host Ben Otto wrapped up the summit with an incredible summary of the themes and key takeaways that emerged throughout the event. Attendees also asked questions and shared what stuck with them.  

We didn’t solve every problem, but we made great progress on some challenges, reflected on innovative solutions, and came up with more questions to stimulate lots of future conversations and actions. Stay tuned for a future blog on our learnings from the summit and our next steps.   

Summit Highlights

We opened and closed the conference with a few polls of the audience to gauge everyone’s interest, understanding of, and commitment to work on transmission issues. It was incredible to see the results on day two: participants’ understanding of transmission issues and how to engage in the region had markedly increased.  

Our shared understanding of the primary barriers to building transmission also transformed after two days of discussion at the summit.  

We were inspired by attendees’ key takeaways:  

Panel 1 

The Grid We Share: History and Perspectives on Regional Transmission 

Panelists:  

• Jillan Hanson, Climate and Renewable Energy Program Manager, The Nature Conservancy in Idaho 

• Brant Johnson, Senior Vice President of Development, Grid United 

• Jamie Hearn, Climate and Community Planning Lead, Front and Centered 

• Donald Williams, Founder/Principal/CEO, From the Light Consulting 

• Mike McArthur, Renewable Northwest  

Moderator: Stephanie Lenhart, Associate Professor, Boise State University 

Panel 2 

Looking Ahead: Opportunities to Expand the Transmission System 

Panelists:  

• Casey Baker, Senior Program Manager, GridLab 

• Hamody Hindi, Manager of Transmission Planning, Bonneville Power Administration 

• Kyle Unruh, Director, Montana & Idaho, Renewable Northwest 

• Curtis Westhoff, System Consulting Engineer, Idaho Power Planning Department 

Moderator:  

• Shanna Brownstein, Head of Utility Partnerships, GridCARE 

Panel 3 

Issues and Solutions Part 1: Community and Environmental Impacts and Siting Processes 

Panelists:  

• Shannon Stewart, VP of Environmental Compliance & Strategy, Invenergy 

• John Robison, Public Lands & Wildlife Director, Idaho Conservation League 

• Reuben Martinez, Energy Program Manager, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI) 

• Jeff Hough, Bannock County Board of Commissioners 

Moderator:  

• Aaron Menenberg, Idaho Policy Manager, Renewable Northwest 

Panel 4 

Issues and Solutions Part 2: Regional Planning and Coordination 

Panelists:  

• Rich Glick, Principal, GQS New Energy Strategies 

• Caitilin Liotiris, Principal, Energy Strategies 

• Donald Williams, Founder/Principal/CEO, From the Light Consulting 

Moderator: 

• George Lynch, Deputy Director, Western Interstate Energy Board 

Panel 5 

Issues and Solutions Part 3: How Costs and Benefits are Determined and Allocated at the State Level 

Panelists:  

• John Hammond, Idaho Public Utilities Commission 

• Les Perkins, Oregon Public Utility Commission 

• Brian Rybarik, Chair, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission 

Moderator:  

• Megan Decker, Staircase Advisory 

Panel 6 

Issues and Solutions Part 4: Workforce and Construction 

Panelists:  

• Jake Pollack, Senior Director, Strategy & Impact, Strategic Energy Innovation 

• Erich Orth, Bonneville Power Administration 

• Jason Hudson, Government Affairs Director, IBEW 77 

Moderator:  

• Kate French, Senior Policy Manager, Power Sector, BlueGreen Alliance