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.
Great Salt Lake Policy Assessment: A Synthesized Resource Document for the 2023 General Legislative Session
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[...]
Energy Insight: Is Electric Vehicle Growth Ready to Accelerate?
Did Utah EV sales also cross the five percent EV tipping point? Yes, Utah hit five percent EV sales in the last quarter of 2021. Although the EV adoption rate in the US currently lags Europe, US federal policies of infrastructure build-out and EV credits are poised to close the gap.
A Business Vision for Utah’s Energy Future (Data Compendium)
This Data Compendium provides supplementary data, definitions, and focus group summaries for the companion report, “A Business Vision for Utah’s Energy Future.” This companion report can be accessed on the Salt Lake Chamber or Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute website.
A Business Vision for Utah’s Energy Future
Utah's business community envisions an energy future that places Utah at the center of the nation's energy transition by harmonizing environmental and economic progress to ensure a balanced low carbon energy future that remains affordable, reliable, and sustainable.
Energy Insight: The Energy Shock of Putin’s War
Motor gasoline prices have been top of mind for Utah motorists since Putin’s war in Ukraine began in late February. The war is the primary factor boosting Utah’s regular unleaded prices from $3.80 per gallon in September 2021 to $5.25 per gallon in July 2022.
Economic Challenges and Opportunities in Utah’s Coal Country
The Gardner Institute’s 40-year population and employment planning projections illustrate how scheduled power plant closures and declining coal production is likely to affect the region. This report can help to plan for the coming decades as economic circumstances change for Carbon and Emery counties.
Renewable Natural Gas: A Sustainable Approach to the Energy Transition
Renewable natural gas offers a new and promising energy source that will help decarbonize a portion of Utah’s energy mix.
Market Assessment: Air Quality / Changing Climate Solutions Laboratory
The redevelopment of the Utah State Prison property in Draper, Utah, presents a significant opportunity for a generational investment in Utah’s economic future. Of the 600 acres at the prison site, a portion is being considered for a university-led innovation district that solves difficult challenges and creates high quality jobs in Utah. One of these challenges, and a platform for future innovation, is air quality and a changing climate
COVID-19’s Impacts on Utah’s Oil & Gas Industry
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the oil and gas sector was caught unprepared for the global shock of diminished energy demand by shelter-in-place and stay-at-home policies. At the same time, two OPEC+ members battling for market share oversupplied global energy markets, creating an unanticipated energy supply shock and sending crude oil prices into a tailspin. These combined shocks threatened the viability of oil and gas companies lacking the robust balance sheets needed to remain solvent until normal market conditions return.
Economic Impacts of Utah’s Energy Industry, 2017
Utah’s diverse energy industry plays a significant role in the state’s economy. It encompasses traditional fossil fuels and renewable resources. The mining sector produces crude oil, natural gas, and coal. Power producers generate electricity from hydropower, geothermal, solar, wind, and biomass resources and distribute it within the state and across the western U.S. Five refineries process crude oil from Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Canada, and Utah has the only licensed and operating uranium mill in the country. Dozens of firms manufacture machinery for mining and the oil and gas fields as well as turbines, generators, transformers, and other electrical equipment.[...]