Clean Energy Attracts Business

Originally aired July 16, 2021

Clean energy is no longer just an environmental imperative — it is an economic development strategy. This panel examines how states and regions are using renewable energy investment and policy to attract businesses, create jobs, and build competitive economies. Former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter is joined by leaders from Arizona State University and the business community to explore the evidence and the opportunities.

Speakers

Governor Bill Ritter

Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University; Former Governor of Colorado

Bill Ritter served as the 41st Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011, where he championed one of the nation’s most ambitious clean energy agendas. He is the Founding Director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, advising governors and policymakers on clean energy policy and economic development.

Gary Dirks

Senior Director, LightWorks; Director, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, ASU

Gary Dirks serves as Senior Director of LightWorks and Director of ASU’s Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation. A former president of BP China, he now leads university-wide sustainability and energy research initiatives at Arizona State University, connecting academic research with real-world energy and climate solutions.

Kristin Mayes

Chair, Arizona Corporation Commission; Commissioner, Arizona Residential Utility Consumer Office

Kristin Mayes served as a Commissioner and Chair of the Arizona Corporation Commission, where she advanced clean energy standards and utility regulation in Arizona. A recognized leader on renewable energy policy, she has worked to expand solar power and improve energy affordability for Arizona consumers.

Greg LeRoy

Executive Director, Good Jobs First

Greg LeRoy is the founder and Executive Director of Good Jobs First, a national policy resource center promoting accountability in economic development. He has spent decades researching how tax subsidies and incentives shape business location decisions, and is a leading voice for ensuring that clean energy investments deliver genuine community and worker benefits.