We believe Utah leaders need to do more now and set goals and implement policies to encourage the reduction of greenhouse gasses and other harmful air pollution as part of a transitional effort and strategy to ensure a prosperous and healthy economic future for Utah.
To that end, RAISE UT supports the following three priorities:
We Love Clean and Affordable Buildings
PRIORITY: The Utah Legislature should adopt the fully updated energy efficiency building codes and electric-ready provisions to enable more electrified, pollution-free buildings that lower energy costs, allow for more efficient use of the electric grid, and improve indoor air quality.
WHY: Utah’s building codes are woefully out of date. Adoption of the residential energy code is a practical and affordable solution to some of Utah’s most important economic development goals and pressing environmental challenges. Across the West, the electric grid is rapidly transitioning to low-cost, clean energy. Strategic electrification of residential buildings combined with better energy efficiency measures can improve reliability and affordability for ratepayers, while benefitting Utahns’ health and outdoor air quality.
PRIORITY: Utah should leverage federal funding programs to offer incentives to transition trucks from diesel to electric models. A clean trucks incentive program would be a cost-effective mechanism to enable and accelerate market-driven adoption of clean trucks to improve air quality and reduce climate-warming, ozone-causing emissions from the transportation sector.
WHY: The Northern Wasatch Front is out of compliance with the Clean Air Act ozone requirements and new policy actions are being considered by the state. Reducing harmful emissions from medium and heavy-duty (MHD) vehicles will be crucial to improving air quality in the state, especially as the state moves forward with the construction of the Inland Port. Adopting these policy actions will ensure more MHD electric vehicles on the road in Utah, deliver fuel and maintenance cost savings to Utah businesses and mitigate future emissions from the Inland Port.
We Love Clean Transportation
PRIORITY: Verify PacifiCorp’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction projections by requiring the state to account for utility system emissions and host a publicly accessible emissions inventory.
WHY: We know we need to reduce harmful carbon emissions from the electricity sector by shifting to cleaner generation sources. This shift need not threaten grid reliability and can, in fact, make our electricity supply more secure if done right. Utah’s largest utility, PacifiCorp, projects they will reduce their carbon emissions by 74% by 2030. We commend them for working to cut emissions, but we also need a way for the public to see they are on track to achieve these reductions. Better emissions accounting and a publicly accessible emissions inventory will enable Utah to ensure these crucial emissions reduction projections become a reality.
We Love Clean Electricity