This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2005, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Senate approved a bill that will dismantle the state's Energy Office, scattering its operations to other agencies.
Senate Bill 199, sponsored by Rep. Tom Hatch, R-Panguitch, is to facilitate Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s plans.
Huntsman wants to hire a full-time energy policy director who would create an advisory board to set the state's energy policy. Other functions of the Energy Office would be spread between the Department of Environmental Quality and the Utah Geological Survey.
Environmentalists and advocates for alternative fuels have argued to keep the office intact to maintain better oversight.
SB199 now goes to the House of Representatives.
- Matt Canham
