Lawmakers from 14 Western states will convene in Teton Village this weekend to discuss regional energy issues and develop strategies for exporting and importing states’ resources.

The three-day Western States Energy and Environment Symposium starts at 3 p.m. Sunday and will run until 1 p.m. Tuesday. Events are open to the public.

“Lawmakers will be talking about the Western energy grid and how do we provide what we all need in terms of energy across the Western states,” said John Schiffer, symposium co-chairman and a Republican state senator from Kaycee.

State Rep. Colin Simpson, R-Cody, is the other co-chairman. The Wyoming Legislature is sponsoring the symposium.

Among some of the bigger highlights this week is a talk from Harvard professor Robert Stavins, who will give the keynote speech at 7:45 p.m. Sunday. Stavins’ talk – “Harnessing Economics for Energy and the Environment” – will be held at Walk Festival Hall.

A full day of events and work session will kick off at 8 a.m. Monday in Walk Festival Hall with a welcome and remarks from Wyoming Rep. Tom Lubnau, R-Gillette. Wyoming Senate President John Hines, R-Gillette, also will give remarks.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal will speak at 8:30 a.m. Monday about Western energy challenges and why regional cooperation is important. Following Freudenthal, representatives from each state will provide five-minute overviews of the vision for their state’s energy needs in 2020.

Events will begin at 7:30 a.m. and finish by 1 p.m. Tuesday, earlier than advertised, to allow lawmakers to attend a memorial service for recently deceased Sen. Cliff Hansen.

A highlight of Tuesday’s agenda includes a morning work session in which lawmakers will try to identity recommendations for creating a “Western regional energy vision.”

According to Schiffer, the symposium has been in the making for years.

The effort started four years ago as state lawmakers discussed how to position Wyoming as a major energy source for the country.

Then, the state started discussing carbon sequestration and developing clean-coal technologies and created the School of Energy Research, he said.

At the same time, lawmakers began visiting with their counterparts in other Western states, Schiffer said.

Mainly, lawmakers were interested in cost-efficient energy that was sensitive to the environment, Schiffer said.

“All the legislators were dealing with the same issues –  some dealing with it as exporters and some as consumers,” Schiffer said.

Those conversations formed the genesis of the symposium.

Many state lawmakers have confirmed for the three-day symposium, making this the first time legislators from the 14 Western states will convene to talk about such issues.