Every 10 years, state policy makers update Utah’s energy plan. We’re there, again; and the Office of Energy Development folks have released a summary of where they think we should go. It’s short (two pages), sweet (if you like the smell of crude oil) and misses several points (e.g. no reference to climate change).
Innovative? No. More of the same.
Fortunately, it’s not yet a done deal. The public has a window of opportunity to get involved and say “Let’s get real, here.” Local civic groups have scheduled a webinar on March 24 to examine alternatives to another decade of Utah’s “same old, same old” romance with fossil fuels. Ten years is a long time to perpetuate mistakes of the past.
OED’s “Energy and Innovation Plan Summary” leads with the oft-heard claim that “Utah’s energy prices [are] some of the lowest in the country.” And according to a recent nationwide comparison by the Citizens Utility Board, Utah is ranked #1 for energy affordability: low electric bills. But the same report ranks Utah near the bottom for environmental impacts: #43.
Why the discrepancy? Because Utah’s “cheap” energy is generated mostly by burning coal and methane (aka natural gas), the leading climate busters and sources of air pollution in the state. Utah’s “cheap” energy comes at a cost that Utahns’ monthly electric bills do not reflect. A 2020 Brigham Young University study noted that up to 8,000 Utah premature deaths annually are attributable to fossil fueled air pollution that costs our state as much as $3.3 billion.
OED authors of the proposed energy plan defer to the leadership of Utah’s monopoly utility, Rocky Mountain Power, which is largely responsible for the state’s dependence on coal and methane for 86% of its electricity. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions place Utah among the worst states for energy industry pollution. Ozone from hydrocarbon drilling and combustion threatens rural and urban Utahns alike.
Fossil fuel energy isn’t cheap when it’s sickening our kids, their families and the planet they hope to inherit. It’s not cheap when decades of taxpayer subsidies have given coal, oil and gas a multigenerational advantage over renewables like solar and wind power; and a dependence on dirty fuel sources, foreign and domestic. Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran don’t control the sun or the wind. Neither do Utah’s Wolverine Fuels (coal) and Finley Resources (oil and gas).
OED’s old-school draft energy plan proudly proclaims “We [Utah] are in the top 15 states for producing coal, crude oil and natural gas.” The state pledges millions for fossil fuel infrastructure, like the Uinta Basin Railway and coal export terminals, while its partner utility fights to decrease the value of rooftop solar energy.
That is not where the younger generations take pride. An intergenerational conflict is brewing over energy policy. Youth organizations like Fridays for Future, Sunrise Movement, Utah 100% Clean Energy School Districts and Utah Youth Environmental Solutions recognize that the current policy dynamic invites climate chaos and is rife with injustice. As a young person, watching policy efforts continue to fall short increases my anxiety about the future.
The OED plan would grease Gov. Spencer Cox’s One Utah Roadmap call for increased coal mining and petroleum drilling. This despite market uncertainties that contrast with the real-world certainty of more climate change heat and drought from such dirty energy activities. Meanwhile, Utah’s attorney general and other state leaders fight federal efforts to address global warming and assess the human costs of carbon.
What are the real human costs of carbon for this generation and the next? What are the questions that need to be asked, and the initiatives needed to put Utah on an energy track that is truly affordable, reliable and sustainable? How can Utahns achieve energy policy driven by facts rather than industry PR?
The intersection between policy makers and grassroots individuals must grow stronger, and the upcoming public forum invites a space to do so. For answers to key questions, and to learn how you can improve Utah’s 10-year energy plan, join local youth organizers and the Utah Sierra Club for the “Our Power: A Vision for Utah’s Energy Future” webinar on March 24 at 6 p.m.
Aarushi Verma
Aarushi Verma, Salt Lake City, is a youth climate organizer and a quantitative economics major at the University of Utah. She currently volunteers with Utah Sierra Club and previously led the Granite School District 100% Clean Energy Campaign.
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