Gov. Cox announces new State Energy and Innovation Plan

SALT LAKE CITY —  Gov. Spencer Cox in collaboration with the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) announced Utah’s new State Energy and Innovation Plan. The plan was released at the One Utah Summit by Thom Carter, Energy Advisor to the Governor and Executive Director of OED.

“At the beginning of my administration, I released the One Utah Roadmap and directed the Utah Office of Energy Development to update the statewide energy plan,” said Gov. Cox. “State code requires state energy policy to have “adequate, reliable, affordable, sustainable, and clean energy resources and that’s precisely what this plan does. It’s crucial that we ensure Utah’s energy future is secure, innovative, and reliable in order to maintain our high quality of life and robust economy.”

The plan can be found on the OED’s website as an interactive story map at energy.utah.gov/plan.

“Gov. Cox frequently tells his team that good policy can’t be written sitting in our offices in Salt Lake,” said Thom Carter. “He encouraged us to travel the state so we could really understand the important issues facing Utahns. After taking that advice, traveling the state for a year, and talking to many experts, stakeholders, and the public, we’ve created this interactive state energy plan that demonstrates our commitment to a balanced market-driven approach to energy.”

According to a press release from the Governor’s Office, the six commitments included in the plan are:

1. Utah is committed to an “any of the above” energy future, supporting efforts and policies that provide a variety of tools and resources that citizens, communities, businesses, and industries can choose from to deliver or obtain affordable, reliable energy.
2. Utah is committed to American energy independence, pursuing policies and actions that will enable more domestic energy development and enhance global energy security.
3.  Utah is committed to pragmatic, market-driven climate solutions that enable innovative energy production. This includes a focus on supporting Utah-based research and development, ensuring we stay good stewards of our environment for future generations of Utahns.
4.  Utah is committed to supporting rural communities through economic development and diversification efforts, infrastructure investment, and workforce training and development.
5. Utah is committed to supporting a clean energy future through a strong and responsible mining program for critical minerals; investment in emerging energy technology such as hydrogen, storage, and energy efficiency; and air quality research and incentive programs.
6.  Utah is committed to collaboration with its local, regional, and federal partners to pursue infrastructure and innovation projects such as EV charging, transmission, emerging fuel hubs, and coal community support and diversification.