Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said he is appointing a new advisory panel to vet the 23 energy-saving options recommended last month by the Blue Ribbon Advisory Council on Climate Change, as well as the group's suggestions for reducing Utah's output of the pollution that contributes to global warming.

"We're not done by any means," said Huntsman, who signed Utah onto the Western Climate Initiative this summer.

The new group will advise Huntsman on what projects - such as updating building codes for homes, business and government - should be tackled first.

And it will suggest what needs to be done to accommodate the improvements, such as enacting legislation or providing funding.

The governor has set a goal of cutting greenhouse gases 20 percent in Utah by 2015.

Utahns, their businesses and government pumped about 69 million metric tons of those gases into the atmosphere in 2005, or about 1 percent of the nation's gross emissions.

Huntsman's energy adviser, Dianne Nielson, said there would be many side benefits to improved energy efficiency, including economic savings, new jobs and cleaner air.

"We need to bring some priorities to this now," she said.

Park City Mayor Dana Williams pointed out that many Utahns are interested in the benefits that energy efficiency offers. He said 40 ranchers in Summit County, for instance, are curious about a proposed program to develop wind farms.

"It doesn't matter if you believe in global warming or not," he said. "It affects your bottom line."

fahys@sltrib.com

For more information about the climate-change group and their energy-efficiency ideas, see the Web page at www.deq.utah.gov/BRAC_Climate/final_report.htm