Senator Gail Griffin recently completed a 60 hour university program in energy policy planning. The program is awarded through the University of Idaho and the Pacific Northwest Economic Region’s Energy Horizon Institute, in a partnership with the National Conference of State Legislatures and support from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Forty legislators from across the country are selected for this distinguished program. The Institute educates legislators on the North American energy infrastructure and delivery system. The complex issues associated with electricity, natural gas, petroleum infrastructure; regulation governing this infrastructure; nuclear energy and alternative energy, including wind and solar are just some of the areas that legislators must understand to make responsible and informed policy decisions.

“The Legislative Energy Horizon Institute program gave me a much better understanding of how our energy infrastructure works,” said Senator Griffin, a Republican from Hereford. “I will use the information I received at the Institute to make smart decisions for my constituents and the State of Arizona on energy policy here at the legislature.”

The program was conducted in June in Richland, Washington and October in Washington, D.C.