SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – During the One Utah Summit that took place on May 10, Governor Spencer Cox announced his new “Energy and Innovation Plan.” 

Throughout the past several months, the Utah Office of Energy Development, along with the help of public insight, worked to update the state’s existing Energy and Innovation Plan. 

This new plan, which will serve as a beacon for energy development in Utah, highlights six key commitments the state is adopting with the enactment of the plan. 

As echoed on the Governor’s official website, the six commitments detailed in the plan are: 

• Utah is committed to an “any of the above” energy future, supporting efforts and policies that provide a variety of tools and resources that citizens, communities, businesses, and industries can choose from to deliver or obtain affordable, reliable energy. 
• Utah is committed to American energy independence, pursuing policies and actions that will enable more domestic energy development and enhance global energy security.
• Utah is committed to pragmatic, market-driven climate solutions that enable innovative energy production. This includes a focus on supporting Utah-based research and development, ensuring we stay good stewards of our environment for future generations of Utahns.
• Utah is committed to supporting rural communities through economic development and diversification efforts, infrastructure investment, and workforce training and development.  
• Utah is committed to supporting a clean energy future through a strong and responsible mining program for critical minerals; investment in emerging energy technology such as hydrogen, storage, and energy efficiency; and air quality research and incentive programs.
• Utah is committed to collaboration with its local, regional, and federal partners to pursue infrastructure and innovation projects such as EV charging, transmission, emerging fuel hubs, and coal community support and diversification.

In regards to the new plan, Gov. Cox said, “At the beginning of my administration, I released the One Utah Roadmap and directed the Utah Office of Energy Development to update the statewide energy plan.

State code requires state energy policy to have “adequate, reliable, affordable, sustainable, and clean energy resources and that’s precisely what this plan does. It’s crucial that we ensure Utah’s energy future is secure, innovative, and reliable in order to maintain our high quality of life and robust economy.”