Energy

Last year, Utah was the first state to pass a law allowing small-scale plug-in solar at home. Now, similar bills have popped up in more than 25 other states.

The Trump administration has a growing appetite to build domestic nuclear power and the industry that supports it. That dovetails with Utah's own interest in developing an in-state full-stop nuclear economy.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the permit to Bill Gates-backed TerraPower to build a sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in Kemmerer, about 130 miles northeast of Salt Lake City.

Sen. Derrin Owens wants to help the rural districts he represents. He hopes getting them a piece of Utah’s nuclear pie could boost their declining economies.

Critics and environmentalists see Trump’s decision as “moving backwards to an era” where environmental effects, like the ones Utah already experiences, are ignored.

It's the third proposed coal sale from public lands in the West to fall through this month despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost production of the fuel.

Tax credits for solar and wind power were cut from the federal budget bill. Geothermal’s incentives were preserved, keeping the technology on track to boom in the years to come.

The Lava Ridge Wind Project drew criticism for the height of its turbines as well as for its proximity to the Minidoka National Historic Site, where thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.

Utah has struck several deals this year to bring new nuclear technologies to the state. Part of that is a lease for enrichment at Camp Williams, as well as test reactors in Emery County.

From a waning water supply to traffic congestion, the BUILD Coordinating Council will come together quarterly to lay out recommendations on how to solve Utah’s most pressing problems.

“We cannot be cowed by any pushback, we just have to keep getting the truth out there and talk about the value of science, the value of education, over and over again,” Flatow told KUER’s Pamela McCall.

The Utah Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit brought by seven young people who say the state’s energy policies fuel climate change and harm their lives. But plaintiffs can still amend their case and try again.