Ashtyn Asay, Daily Herald

Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert moderated a discussion Thursday between politicians and industry experts focusing on clean energy, and how market forces continue to drive change in Utah’s energy landscape.

The panel, held at Utah Valley University, included Rep. Steve Handy, Landon Stevens, policy director of the Conservative Energy Network, and Steve Ryder, the VP and CFO of Clearwater Energy Group.

Panelists broached how — and if — the federal government should be involved with new energy technologies as they continue to become more prevalent, barriers surrounding the progression of renewable energy and new renewable energy programs within the state.

According to Stevens, the more that new energy technologies develop, the more he sees a role for the federal government within these industries. However, he hopes there would be fewer regulations in the future.

“There is more of a role for the federal government to play, but I don’t think it’s the way that at least the Biden administration has been approaching it right now,” he said. “What I really think the country needs when we’re talking about energy future is more of an approach of rolling back the regulatory hurdles for getting steel in the ground is what we call it.”

Rick Bowmer, Associated Press

Stevens believes that the federal government could be helpful in paving the way for new energy by helping plan the necessary infrastructure.

“In technology development for a hundred years, it’s kind of always been the same way, and in the last 20 we’ve seen this huge shift towards new technologies,” he said. “I think the federal government has a role in how we plan that regional infrastructure to best take advantage of these new technologies.”

When asked what barriers are being faced in terms of transitioning to cleaner energy, Ryder said that some of the biggest hurdles are the transmission and lack of leadership.

“Transmission’s a big one. There’s a lot of resource in western parts of the United States in places like Idaho, Montana, Utah, just to name a few,” he said. “But it’s hard sometimes to get that resource in generating the electricity to the load sites down in Salt Lake City and other major cities in the region.”

Handy discussed HB 411, the Community Renewable Energy Act, which he sponsored in 2019. This bill, which passed and was signed into law, created community energy programs with the goal of getting 100% of the annual electricity supply for participating customers from a renewable resource by 2030. According to Handy, 26 communities have already opted into the program.

“These communities are now in negotiation to try to figure out the rate structure and as this comes together, these communities would really control about 37% of Rocky Mountain Power’s entire energy footprint,” Handy said.

The event was organized by the Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy and Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Rep. Moore introduces energy bill

First District Rep. Blake Moore also introduced the Protecting American Energy Act Thursday.

According to a press release distributed by Moore, this act is intended to lower gas prices and protect and promote energy independence.

This bill would create an annual report on American energy capacity, production, and consumption, and require certification that withdrawing land from being made available for mineral leasing would not negatively impact American energy independence.

This bill would also require reports from the Secretaries of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, and the Department of State on how current events could impact America’s energy needs.

“If the Biden Administration is so sure unleashing domestic energy production would not solve our skyrocketing gas prices and national security concerns, Americans deserve to know why,” Moore said in a press release. “The Protecting American Energy Act will ensure that domestic energy production can continue without political interference and hold the Administration accountable as we seek to understand their unwillingness to work with domestic energy producers on solutions to our crippling energy crises. We need answers now.”

According to the press release, this bill has support from the Western Energy Alliance, the U.S. Oil and Gas Association, the Independent Association of Drilling Contractors, and the Energy Workforce and Technology Council.

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