Energy & Natural Resources
The Gardner Institute provides energy decision support to state policy makers. We produce economic impact studies of Utah’s energy sector, forecast Utah’s energy production, and assess energy infrastructure expansion across the sate and within the Uintah Basin. We convene the Gardner Institute’s Energy Advisory Council comprised of representatives from upstream and downstream oil and gas, renewable energy, mining, utilities, and the Governor’s Office of Energy Development.
2024 Great Salt Lake Policy Summary: Leasing Water from Agriculture Producers
The Great Salt Lake Strike Team analyzed ten policy options and created summaries for each. The strike team does not endorse individual policies but rather evaluates the most-discussed options to address Great Salt Lake.
2024 Great Salt Lake Policy Summary: Lake Partitioning and Other Playa Modifications
The Great Salt Lake Strike Team analyzed ten policy options and created summaries for each. The strike team does not endorse individual policies but rather evaluates the most-discussed options to address Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake Data and Insights Summary: A Synthesized Resource Document for the 2024 General Legislative Session
In 2023, Great Salt Lake rose from the record-low elevation reached in 2022, aided by record-high winter snowfall and the adaptive management berm. Economic activity, public health, and the lake's ecosystems are adversely impacted by low water levels. This summary synthesizes essential data and insights so decision-makers have the information they need to improve water management, increase water deliveries to the lake, mitigate adverse impacts, and recover the lake to a healthy range.
Data Compendium Utah Strategic Energy Framework
H.B. 426, passed in the 2023 General Legislative Session, requires the development of a strategic plan to achieve the state’s energy policy of adequate, reliable, affordable, sustainable, and clean energy resources. The Utah Energy Strike Team prepared the Utah Strategic Energy Framework under the leadership and direction of the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) and the Utah Department of Natural Resource
Utah Strategic Energy Framework
H.B. 426, passed in the 2023 General Legislative Session, requires the development of a strategic plan to achieve the state’s energy policy of adequate, reliable, affordable, sustainable, and clean energy resources. The Utah Energy Strike Team prepared this Utah Strategic Energy Framework under the leadership and direction of the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) and the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
Insight: Nuclear in Utah’s Energy Mix
By: Thomas Holst Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the views shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]
Insight: Uinta Waxy Crude Oil Flows Out of State, Spurring Possible Economic Growth in State
By: Thomas Holst Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author alone and do not reflect an institutional position of the Gardner Institute. We hope the opinions shared contribute to the marketplace of ideas and help people as they formulate their own INFORMED DECISIONS™. […]
Policy Brief: Utah’s Energy Industry
Heading into 2022, energy experts debated the speed and timing of a return to “normal” energy demand following a tumultuous 2020–2021 as the world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic.
February Newsmaker Breakfast: Great Salt Lake Policy Assessment Slides
Presented by the Great Salt Lake Strike Team, a Collaboration of Utah's Research Universities and State Agencies
Great Salt Lake Strike Team Policy Assessment Executive Summary
Declining water levels threaten economic activity, public health, and ecosystems of Great Salt Lake and surrounding communities. This policy assessment provides a summary of data, insights, and policy options that will inform strategies to improve water management and increase deliveries to the lake. The Strike Team quickly synthesizes cutting-edge research and delivers information to those who need it most. It includes top researchers from Utah’s research universities who are experts in public policy, hydrology, water management, climatology, and dust. They join with experts from Utah state agencies, who are the “boots on the ground” in overseeing Great Salt Lake. In[...]