The PNWER Connection: Advancing Collaboration and Regional Opportunity

It’s been a busy and productive autumn for PNWER, between hosting the Build Northwest Forum and Rail Summit in Portland, visiting Washington, D.C. and bringing together dozens of leaders to discuss emerging challenges and developments in cross-border trade. As we heard at our Annual Summit this summer, there’s a lot happening across the Pacific Northwest, and it’s rich in opportunities to advance meaningful cooperation. These efforts build on that momentum, highlighting the action PNWER leaders are taking to strengthen our integrated economies and showcase the best of the U.S.-Canada relationship. 

The Pacific Northwest is uniquely dependent on cross-border trade, with linked supply chains and shared industries that drive our regional economy. A reliable U.S.-Canada trading partnership is at the core of this economic engine, and through recent meetings and federal engagement, we’re working to reinforce this foundation. We’re grateful for our strong relationships with government and industry partners, whose ongoing collaboration drives these important conversations. We look forward to continuing this work and strengthening the binational partnership at the core of our mission. 

Covered in this blog:

• Event Spotlight: Build Northwest Forum and Rail Summit
• PNWER on the Road: Connecting with key members of Congress in Washington, D.C.
• Educating Policymakers: Graduating the 2025 LEHI cohort
• Trade: Extending and Securing USMCA/CUSMA
• Aquatic Invasive Species: The WSWRA Annual Conference will be held December 3–5 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington
• SAVE THE DATE for the 35th PNWER Annual Summit, July 19-23 in Edmonton, Alberta

Event Spotlight: Build Northwest Forum & Rail Summit ​

Between bustling ports, continuous rail lines, mountain roads and marine highways, the Pacific Northwest has a uniquely powerful multimodal network for moving people and goods. These world-class export gateways, growing inland corridors and community links depend on collaboration that transcends sectors and political borders. Regional leaders from government and industry brought meaningful ideas to this vision at the Build Northwest Economic Forum and Pacific Northwest Rail Summit in Portland, Oregon, October 14-17. 

Session Snapshot 
Ensuring Trade Predictability, Modernization and Infrastructure Investments in the PNW
It’s a pivotal time for the U.S.-Canada trade relationship, as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA/CUSMA) will be under review by the three countries next July. 

• Speakers emphasized the need for predictability, given the interdependence in key sectors like manufacturing and agriculture.

Permitting delays are some of the biggest barriers to building critical transportation and energy infrastructure. Alex Herrgott, the Permitting Institute, and Colleen Giroux-Schmidt, Innergex, discussed what challenges and opportunities exist to accelerate the critical, yet tedious process. 

• Permitting is a bipartisan issue, with general consensus that streamlining the process without compromising review standards is a win-win approach towards building infrastructure. Keeping requirements consistent will enable smart and sustainable infrastructure development to get off the ground faster and serve generations to come. 

Legislative Roundtable on Supply Chain Resilience
Policymakers from across the region discussed the supply chain complexities, challenges and opportunities for the binational region – emphasizing permit reform and regulatory alignment as keys to enhancing critical infrastructure.

"I think it's clear that across this region we share one coast, one market and one future. So if we choose partnership over partisanship as some of our colleagues have said, I believe we can build what we believe in together going forward," 
- MLA Paul Choi, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade for British Columbia

​Intercity Passenger Rail Service Connects Communities, Opens Doors
As momentum builds for expanding passenger rail networks, sessions showcased how increased service and improved stations can strengthen community ties, attract new visitors and present economic opportunities.

• Grassroots efforts are underway to revive service between Chicago and Seattle/Portland through southern Montana; and Salt Lake City to Portland through southern Idaho. Restored service will provide a new mode of access for community members and visitors to reach their destinations reliably all year round.
  
• High speed rail took center stage during a fireside chat with Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, Oregon Metro Councilor Ashton Simpson and 1803 Fund CEO Rukaiyah Adams. The leaders underscored the transformative opportunities new technologies can provide for a growing Cascadia region.
  

Read the full recap

Watch session recordings

​PNWER on the Road: Connecting with Leaders in Washington, D.C.

PNWER legislators from Alberta, Alaska and Washington state joined PNWER staff in Washington, D.C. to engage with key members of Congress and promote the cross-border collaboration and trade driving the Pacific Northwest economy. Delegates underscored the U.S.-Canada trade partnership and discussed ongoing efforts involving transportation infrastructure development, critical minerals, invasive species and energy. Staff also met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection leadership on FIFA transportation pilot opportunities, and with U.S. Department of Commerce leadership responsible for USMCA review. 

The PNWER delegation included Senator Scott Kawasaki and Representatives Mia Costello and Carolyn Hall from Alaska, Representative Mary Dye from Washington and MLA Shane Getson and Nathan Cooper from Alberta. The cross-border delegation met with 15 members of Congress and staff, including U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who emphasized the value of the longstanding people-to-people connections at the heart of PNWER’s work. 

Congressional offices the delegation met with include:
Senate

• Senator Lisa Murkowski, Alaska 
  
• Senator Dan Sullivan, Alaska
  
• Senator Mike Crapo, Idaho
  
• Senator Steve Daines, Montana
  
• Senator Tim Sheehy, Montana 
  
• Senator Jeff Merkley, Oregon
  
• Senator Maria Cantwell, Washington
  
• Senator Patty Murray, Washington
  

House of Representatives

• Congressman Nick Begich, Alaska 
  
• Congressman Mike Simpson, Idaho
  
• Congressman Troy Downing, Montana 
  
• Congressman Ryan Zinke, Montana 
  
• Congresswoman Val Hoyle, Oregon
  
• Congressman Rick Larsen, Washington
  
• Congressman Dan Newhouse, Washington
  

2025 LEHI Cohort Graduates

Photo by Oskar Dap Photography

PNWER wrapped up the second and final 2025 session of its nationally-renowned Legislative Energy Horizon Institute (LEHI), bringing together a class of 40 policymakers from across the U.S. and Canada, on Oct. 22-25 in Washington, D.C. LEHI is designed to equip policymakers with the knowledge to make informed decisions on complex energy issues. Since 2009, LEHI has graduated over 475 legislators, governors advisors and policymakers from 50 U.S. states and territories, Washington D.C. and 5 Canadian provinces and territories. Over 5 current members of U.S. Congress and multiple members of Canadian Parliament are LEHI alumni.

A 60-hour certificate program, LEHI takes place over two sessions in the summer and fall with the first session at Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, WA, focused on the basics of the energy generation, transmission and delivery systems; and the second session in D.C. diving more deeply into energy policy, regulation, business models, financing and key trends – including such relevant topics as rising energy demand growth, the rapid growth of data centers and artificial intelligence, and the bottlenecks affecting energy infrastructure supply chains. This year’s cohort represented 28 jurisdictions – 25 U.S. states, 2 Canadian jurisdictions, and the 2 U.S. territories of American Samoa and Puerto Rico. 

“Because of LEHI, I can have meaningful conversations with stakeholders and my constituents. I can better navigate the future of energy in my state,”
- Rep. Darcey Edwards, Oregon

Since founding LEHI, PNWER has partnered with a consortium of organizations to deliver the program. Partners include the National Conference of State Legislatures, National Governor’s Association, University of Idaho, Women in Government, U.S. Department of Energy, Government of Canada, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and The Energy Council.

Extending and Securing USMCA/CUSMA

PNWER submitted comments in early November to both the United States Trade Representative and Global Affairs Canada on the operation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA/CUSMA) ahead of the joint review happening on July 1, 2026. The agreement provides a stable, fair and reliable framework for mutual economic prosperity between the U.S. and Canada, and it’s vital for our cross-border trade relationship that it remains in place. 

PNWER solicited input from businesses and public sector representatives from across the Pacific Northwest to shape our recommendations, which address key components of the agreement, such as agriculture, energy, workforce mobility and supply chain resilience. This effort underscores PNWER’s core mission of fostering cross-border collaboration to strengthen regional competitiveness and resilience. The joint review represents a key opportunity to reaffirm and modernize the trade relationships that drive our regional economies, ensuring that the Pacific Northwest remains a model of binational cooperation and sustainable growth.

Read the submitted comments here (PDF): http://bit.ly/47t2HTL  

Aquatic Invasive Species

PNWER will join a panel at the upcoming WSWRA Annual Conference that will be held on December 3–5 at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington. Water users and invasive species management professionals will speak about current prevention and mitigation efforts across the region. The cross-border Pacific Northwest depends on clean rivers and lakes for drinking water, hydropower, irrigation, fisheries, recreation and cultural resources. Invasive quagga and zebra mussels would clog infrastructure, degrade water quality and devastate fish and wildlife.

The WSWRA Annual Conference
December 3–5, 2025
Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington
https://wswra.org/events/wswra-annual-conference/

Through a recently passed AIS resolution, PNWER leadership signals urgency to federal, state, provincial, Tribal, and local partners on the need to combat invasive mussels in the region. The PNWER Executive Board voted in October to approve a resolution, reaffirming a regional commitment to addressing the threat of invasive mussels in Pacific Northwest waterways.

Read the PNWER resolution here. 

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