The decision to raise nuclear power from a low- to mid-level priority for countering global warming came after some members of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s Blue Ribbon Advisory Council on Climate Change declared the group's work would not be legitimate unless nuclear power were treated seriously.

Doing otherwise, said Farm Bureau CEO Randy Parker, "draws into question the balance and validity of this group, right here, right now."

The challenge, supported by Utah Sen. Greg Bell, R-Fruit Heights, and Rocky Mountain Power representative Carol Hunter, came after 10 of 21 panelists voted to boost nuclear power's status on a list of ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The panelists wholeheartedly supported a host of other measures to fight global warming that previously have provoked more debate than agreement among policymakers, industry and conservationists.

Some of the top vote-getters included providing tax credits and incentives for renewable-energy development, investment in technology that would capture and store carbon dioxide emitted at coal-fired power plants, and supporting the state's effort to include renewable energy in the power mix.

That's a long way from Utah's former predominant reliance on conservation measures, said Park City Mayor Dana Williams, pointing to the vote tallies lining the walls of a Department of Environmental Quality meeting room.

"This is a really significant sign that partisanship has fallen by the wayside" on the need to address global warming, he said.

Tuesday marked the climate-change advisory council's 56th meeting. The next is scheduled for Aug. 22, when the group will approve its final report and an independent study on the science of climate change.

Dianne Nielson, Huntsman's energy policy adviser, said she expected to present the package to the governor by mid-September.

Industry representatives on the panel pushed alternatives that would include traditional extractive industries high on the list of energy priorities. The panel decided that the final report to the governor would include a cautionary statement about the time it will take to develop many of the advanced-fuels technologies and strategies recommended. For that reason, carbon-based fuels and power need to provide a bridge to renewables, they agreed.

The strong endorsement for nuclear energy emerged at the advisory council's July meeting, despite a panel subcommittee's recommendation that nuclear power should be low-priority because it's unlikely to provide near-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.