The 2024 Utah Legislative Session begins January 16. Utah Clean Energy’s policy team is working on a variety of bills impacting clean air and climate, however, the below policies are our top priories. We will be updating our priorities and individual bills as the session progresses.
Incentives to Electrify Trucks
Medium and heavy-duty trucks are a major contributor to Utah’s bad air, but incentives can help owners switch to electric, removing substantial amounts of pollution. The Utah Clean Truck Incentive Program would provide a tiered incentive for medium and heavy-duty trucks to help overcome the upfront cost barrier to purchasing zero emissions equipment, which at present tends to cost more than vehicles with CNG or diesel engines. This program would be administered by the Division of Air Quality, using federal funds dedicated to reducing transportation emissions.
Creating a Fair and Robust Rooftop Solar Market
Utah residents served by Rocky Mountain Power are not receiving fair compensation for the solar energy they send to the grid, adding to the cost barriers keeping many Utah families from going solar. This challenge is compounded by complex billing that changes yearly, making it difficult for solar adopters to know what their payback period will be on a solar project. This bill updates Utah’s rooftop solar policy to provide rooftop solar customers with predictable and fair compensation for the solar energy they send to our grid.
Reducing Emissions from Homes and Buildings
Homes and buildings are major contributors to U.S. CO2 emissions, but there is ample opportunity to tackle this problem by transforming our building practices. We are seeking a state appropriation of at least $1 million to help homebuilders achieve ultra-energy efficient building envelopes. This funding would come from an existing state energy efficiency incentive program.
We are also working to ensure that the Utah Legislature does not weaken Utah’s existing energy efficiency building standards. Robust energy efficiency standards are essential to ensure that new homes are built right from that start.
Sustaining Momentum on Clean Energy
Utah’s major utility, Rocky Mountain Power, is planning to procure major amounts of clean energy and energy storage over this decade, a critical step in decarbonizing our electricity sector and allowing our state to harness our clean energy resources. We will prioritize legislation that can ensure that a transition to a clean, reliable, and affordable energy resource mix continues.
We would like to clarify that Utah Clean Energy is not a solar company. We are a nonprofit organization that advocates for solar and other clean energy technologies, but we do not install or sell solar in any way.