2026 State of the West Symposium
Hoover Institution
Precourt Institute for Energy
Stanford University
The Bill Lane Center for the American West, the Hoover Institution, and the Precourt Institute for Energy host the State of the West Symposium: Powering the American West: Affordability, Technology, and Policy in the Western Energy Landscape on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
With its abundant renewable energy resources, major centers of oil and gas production, pioneering geothermal energy development, rich mineral resources, and vast transmission infrastructure, the American West is a powerhouse of the U.S. energy landscape. The region is at the vanguard of energy transitions, and plays a vital role in the country’s energy security and economic development. Yet rapidly rising demand, increasing costs, aging infrastructure, and complex permitting processes pose formidable challenges to the region’s energy ecosystem and well-being.
This year’s State of the West symposium will consider the state of energy in the West, from ensuring affordable energy in the age of AI, to opportunities for permitting reform and the future of nuclear energy.
Agenda
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Check-in and lunch
Opening Remarks
Sec. Condoleezza Rice, Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy
Lunch Keynote
Sen. Ron Wyden, United States Senator for Oregon
Powering Growth Without Breaking the Bill: Affordability in an Era of Surging AI Energy Demand
Moderator:
Liang Min, Managing Director, Bits & Watts Initiative, Stanford University
Panelists:
Jerry Fenn, Chair of Utah Public Service Commission
John Reynolds, President of California Public Utilities Commission
Tracey LeBeau, Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of Western Area Power Administration
Break
Permitting Reform for Energy Abundance in the West
Moderator:
David Fedor, Stephenson Policy Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Panelists:
Ben Serrurier, Director of Government Affairs and Policy for Fervo Energy
Madeline Silva, Senior Director at Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Michael Bennon, Research Scholar & Program Manager at CDDRL for the Global Infrastructure Policy Research Initiative, Stanford University
Break
Reinventing Nuclear in the West: Next-Generation Nuclear Technology and Policy
Moderator:
Matt Rogers, Energy Transition Leader, Independent Board Director
Panelists:
Sally Benson, Precourt Family Professor of Energy Science & Engineering, Stanford University
Drew DeWalt, Co-Founder, General Matter
Rachel Slaybaugh, General Partner, DCVC
V.A. Stephens, Nuclear Energy Expert, Policy Strategist, Legislative & Public Affairs Leader
