SANTA FE — New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon today released a first-of-its-kind infrastructure roadmap at a roundtable with Japanese Ambassador Shigeo Yamada to position responsibly produced Rocky Mountain natural gas as a cost-effective, low-carbon solution for growing U.S. and Asian energy markets.

The “Rocky Mountain Gas Roadmap & Implementation Playbook,” developed under the Western States and Tribal Nations Energy (WSTN) Initiative, identifies key infrastructure pathways to connect responsibly produced natural gas from the Rockies to growing domestic and international markets. The roadmap was released during the New Mexico and Wyoming Advanced Energy Roundtable, where Governor Lujan Grisham, Governor Gordon, and Japanese Ambassador Shigeo Yamada discussed energy and technology partnerships.

The roadmap outlines two main routes—the Pacific Northwest Pathway and the Southwest Pathway—that leverage existing infrastructure and rights-of-way to efficiently move Rocky Mountain natural gas to expanding U.S. markets, while also offering the quickest and most affordable connections to Asian markets without relying on the Panama Canal.

“New Mexico is ready to lead the way in unlocking the Rocky Mountain’s potential to create jobs and opportunity, strengthen international collaboration, and write the next chapter in global energy,” said Governor Lujan Grisham. “Putting the Rockies’ abundant energy to work benefits red and blue states by fueling our economies and the transition to clean energy.”

“Both Wyoming and New Mexico have led the country in producing certified gas meeting UN standards, and Japan is particularly interested in that opportunity for cooperation and investment,” said Governor Mark Gordon. “We can provide natural gas resources very near-term—almost immediately—and this is just good business. It’s about moving into a future that meets climate concerns while making sure energy is there as demand continues to grow enormously.”

“This is a very informative and detailed introduction to the potential of Rocky Mountain natural gas, and it is very much appreciated by the Japanese,” said Japanese Ambassador Shigeo Yamada. “I hope today’s meeting will lead to further cooperation and economic partnership between Japan and the State of New Mexico.”

“This playbook is the culmination of years of work and is designed as a tool to help policymakers and commercial actors seize the major opportunities that Rockies gas present to domestic markets seeking lower-carbon gas and the Asian nations that will drive global demand in the coming decades,” said WSTN Chairman Jason Sandel. “We have the gas and the cleanest molecules of it. This playbook shows the way to the markets that need it.”

The roadmap builds on Lujan Grisham’s April trade mission to Asia, where she met with Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to strengthen cooperation between Japan and the American West on energy and technology partnerships.

Rocky Mountain gas offers competitive advantages: cost-effective production with breakeven costs between $3.10 and $3.90 per MMBtu, low-carbon certified gas from producers who have achieved significant methane emissions reductions, and 277 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable reserves capable of serving both regional and international demand.

The two pathways: the Pacific Northwest Pathway serves power markets in Utah, Idaho, and the Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest Pathway expands supplies to the Desert Southwest and Mexico. The Southwest route reduces shipping times to Asia by approximately 50 percent compared to Gulf Coast routes through the Panama Canal. Both pathways target growing demand from data centers, manufacturing, and electrification.

The Wyoming Energy Authority, the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the New Mexico Energy, Minerals, and Natural Resources Department, the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development, the Southern Ute Growth Fund, the Jicarilla Apache Nation, and the western Colorado counties of Garfield, Mesa, Moffat and Rio Blanco funded the roadmap, which was developed by Guidehouse under the direction of WSTN and representatives of the participating governments.

The full report is available at: https://www.governor.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/WSTN-NatGas-Roadmap-10.16.25.pdf.