4/7/08-17

Energy

Legislators decided that requiring mandates was not best for Utah's renewable energy development.

"Twenty-five by 25 is a nice jingle, but there is no rational that says it's where we should be," said Sen. Curtis Bramble, R-Provo. "Why should we limit companies to only 25 percent if they could get more? Or if they could only get 15 percent, they shouldn't be forced to be at 25 if there's no economic, scientific or technological basis to be there."

Although there is no required amount of renewable development, the state has set a target of getting 20-percent of its energy from a renewable source by the year 2025. Power companies will be required to report to the Legislature every five years concerning their progress in developments.

Bramble said that by setting targets instead of mandates, the market will open up and renewable developers will have a chance to be competitive in producing energy.

The bill was created as a compromise of environmental groups and power providers from across the state.

Bramble said that although all groups didn't particularly support the bill, none specifically opposed it.

"I told them they could either sit at the table and help us get a bill that everyone could live with, or they wouldn't get anything," Bramble said.

Sen. Mike Dmitrich, D-Price, was the co-sponsor of the bill. Bramble said that by having both the majority leader and minority leader sponsoring the bill, everyone could see just how important it was.

Although Bramble wasn't aware of any particular renewable energy developer in Utah County, the bill does provide tax exemptions of materials that could be used in construction for developments.

Utah will focus primarily on the development of wind, geothermal and solar energies, to use the existing resources of the state.

The city of Orem provides power produced by Rocky Mountain Power, and the city of Provo gets power from other contractors.