Power companies would be immune from lawsuits resulting from their greenhouse gas emissions under a bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, that passed the House on Tuesday.

Noel said he knows of two lawsuits that have been filed against power companies alleging they are contributing to climate change and, he said, Utah might be vulnerable to such lawsuits because so much of its power comes from fossil fuel.

"We need not make Utah fertile ground for future litigation of this type," Noel said. "It's only going to hurt our citizens."

Under Noel's bill, a permitted company could not be liable unless the plaintiff can show the company violated the terms of its permit and that the plaintiff sustained identifiable damages because of the violation.

Rep. Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, said such blanket immunity is a mistake and called it a "one-size-fits-all prospective limitation on a person's accountability and personal responsibility."