Energy Resources

The governor’s 10-year Strategic Energy Plan describes Utah’s energy goals and recommendations.[1]

The Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining provides maps and data including:

• The Utah Coal Program website provides a public records coal map and an interactive story map.
• The Oil and Gas Program website has interactive maps and data of Utah oil production.

The following are examples of goals and policies that may be included in a county’s resource management plan to address energy resource issues. Most of these examples come from existing county, state, and federal plans; other examples can be found in the referenced plans and other resources listed below.

Alternative Energy/Renewable Resources

• Investigate opportunities for renewable energy resources such as wind, solar, ground source heat pumps and partnering with university research groups.[2]
• Guidelines for the use of renewable sources of energy should be developed and adopted.[3]
• Alternative energy resources can provide substantial and reliable energy supplies.[4,5]
• The Wild Utah Project has developed a Best Management Practices guide for renewable energy projects in the Intermountain West.[6]

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

• Communities need to adopt strategies and programs targeted toward infrastructure that reduces energy consumption.[4]
• Public transportation provides energy efficient travel for large numbers of people.[4]
• Because buildings use one third of all energy consumed in the United States and two thirds of all electricity, using “green” building design can have a major impact on the amount of energy a community consumes.[7]
• Change building codes to make homes more efficient by allowing passive and active solar heat in new commercial and residential constructions.
• Promote the use of renewable sources of energy, and encourage recycling and clean waste disposal methods in order to reduce the overall ecological footprint of the township and its residents.[8]

Energy for Growth/Community Planning

• Assemble an energy advisory committee to develop an overview of issues and recommendations with respect to community energy-use patterns and transportation.[4]
• People provided with facts on energy sustainability have a better understanding of energy-related issues and are more likely to become part of the solution.[6]
• Achieve and maintain a continuing yield of energy and mineral resources from public lands.[9]

• Current information and reports are available from the Utah Governor’s Office of Energy Development. A key resource addressing economic issues is the May 2015 report, Energy and Energy-Related Mining in Utah.
• Utah energy quick facts are available from the US Energy Information Administration.
• In planning, consider all possible forms of renewable energy that can be developed in Utah, including solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. These projects create revenue and jobs. In the third quarter of 2015, Utah created more clean energy jobs than any other state, nearly 3,000. The government offers many incentives to those who develop renewable energy sources.[10]
• In 2013 energy employment generated $2.853 billion in wages. The energy sector generated state and local taxes, fees, and royalties of $656 Million.[11]

The many datasets in the map and data download sections can be used to identify areas of the county with existing or potential energy production by type of energy.

• Energy development projects on public lands may affect sensitive wildlife and other resources.
• Decisions to permit energy development projects on federal lands must be consistent with applicable resource management plans and likely require environmental impact evaluation under the National Environmental Policy Act.