Many rural communities in Utah were founded on energy extraction. Consider Carbon County, where folks might have noticed the absence of a coal-fired power plant that once stood sentinel at the base of Price Canyon. The neighboring towns sit at a distinct intersection of fossil fuel industries and a popular stretch of red rock canyon wilderness called the San Rafael Swell.
Carbon County could act as a microcosm of what could happen in the rest of the state if we were to embrace the shift away from fossil fuels.
Rural Utah makes up 77% of the state’s land and is home to 12% of the population. This residency figure is projected to decrease to 11% over the next 50 years. Additionally, eight of the 19 counties that encompass Utah’s rural region have fewer jobs now than 10 years ago.
Not all rural Utahns are employed in extractive industries, but the ties are strong. And it’s not their fault; they did nothing wrong in choosing what was once — and, let’s be real, still is — a profitable industry. The wrong choice is continuing to cling to the fossil fuel industry despite the evidence against it.
Enter the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022. This landmark piece of climate legislation has funding earmarked for programs in rural communities to assist and incentivize decarbonization, which has the potential to revitalize areas like Carbon County. The Empowering Rural America Act (ERA) offers grants specifically for member-owned rural electricity cooperatives. For rural agriculture producers and small businesses, the USDA is awarding loans and grants through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which also includes funding from the IRA, to assist in the purchase and installation of renewable energy projects as well as energy efficiency upgrades.
Millions of dollars in private investments have been made as well, taking advantage of the tax credits granted to clean energy development to build utility-scale solar projects in Iron County, Carbon County and others. These not only bring jobs but also tax revenue, which directly benefits the communities in which these projects are built. A study from the Western Way found that “renewable energy projects will contribute an estimated $24.6 million in annual property tax revenue throughout Utah by 2023.” That same study reported that the “total output from construction and investment activity [renewables] in Utah from 2007 to 2023 is $5.3 billion.”
The transition to renewable energy is not just environmentally imperative; it’s economically advantageous.
Utah is uniquely positioned to profit from the energy transition because the potential for solar, wind and geothermal development is substantial. A report from the Utah Geological Survey identified over 13,000 square miles of energy zones totaling 837 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity. The combined electrical energy output from just 3 GW would produce enough power to light approximately 16 million homes. These figures put into perspective the potential contribution of the state’s renewable energy resources, even if only a fraction of the resource is developed. It must be acknowledged that large scale solar arrays require significant space and perhaps wind turbines are an eyesore to some, so these installations must be carefully planned and sited. The simple fact that solar and wind power are renewable forms of energy with fewer carbon emissions and low operational costs makes this the obvious choice going forward.
Aside from the great potential Utah has for clean energy generation, we are also set apart from many other rural communities in America by our proximity to spectacular landscapes. The same geologic forces that made it a prime location for fossil fuel extraction also make it an outdoor recreation mecca and a bucket-list destination. Preliminary analysis of 2022 data shows that visitors spent nearly $12 billion in Utah last year. Much of this was along the Wasatch Front, but the five national parks are also a significant driver of tourism.
Currently it feels as though Utah’s resource and tourism economies are at odds — one actively destroying the land the other is trying to protect and enjoy — but a synergistic relationship is possible. By capitalizing on the recreation industry in addition to developing renewable energy infrastructure, rural communities could find new opportunities for economic growth.
Yes, resistance is inevitable. There will be pushback from industries and lobbyists vested in fossil fuels, and the transition requires overcoming infrastructural and policy hurdles which are time-consuming, expensive and complex. Change is hard, especially when fossil fuel extraction has been a way of life for many residents of rural Utah. Rather than dragging our heels, the energy transition needs to be embraced. With funding from the IRA making it possible and stark climate realities making it a necessity, Utah could be an example of the best-case scenario, but only if we get our heads out of the (oil) sand.
Sarah Alicandro
Sarah Alicandro is a senior at Westminster University studying environmental economics. She frequently drives from Salt Lake City to the desert to recreate and is interested in the surrounding fossil fuel landscape, as well as the seeming conflict between the interests of extraction and conservation.
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