Utah's Greenhouse Gas Goal
The Utah Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Goal is to reduce GHG emissions to 2005 levels by 2020 (see Chart 
).
In the year 2020, this represents:
- A 28% reduction in emissions over Business As Usual (BAU) (see Chart )
- Over 27 million tons of carbon reductions over BAU (see Chart )
- Over 9 tons per person less than if the policies were not implemented (see Chart )
- Comparable performance with other Western Climate Initiative jurisdictions in all these metrics.
A greenhouse gas reduction goal was among the policy options in the BRAC report to the Governor and one of our agreements for becoming a partner in the Western Climate Initiative.
The goal is a policy tool to guide us in achieving significant GHG reductions. It is not a regulatory mandate and policies necessary to achieve the goal will themselves be established through consultative administrative or statutory processes.
The Utah goal has been constructed using BRAC policy options.
Utah set its goal through a measured analytical process. Experts from government agencies, business, and the public were consulted extensively, and the goal reflects that input. (Read about Utah's Goal Setting Process )
The final product reflects an ambitious yet realistic goal. It reflects actions on a regional and national level as well as State activities. A number of significant polices are already in place such as Utah’s renewable energy portfolio and federal mileage standards.
The policy analysis scenario for the goal includes:
- Energy Measures:
- Renewable Energy Portfolio ramping to 20% by 2025 (SB 202)
- Demand reduction and efficiency reaching 17% reduction by 2015, and 25% by 2020
- Greenhouse gas cap and trade program (represented by a $25 carbon price in 2012, increasing by 5% per year)
- Transportation policies:
- Clean car emission standard, starting in 2012.
- Aggressive mass transit
- Trip reduction for employers of over 100
- Agriculture and Forestry:
- Limited bio-fuels
- Methane digesters
- Education in multiple sectors
- Does not include carbon capture and sequestration where first plants come on in 2022 (2.5 GW of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle with Carbon Capture and Sequestration in Utah)
The Utah GHG Reduction Goal must be viewed in the context of our State’s economy, our natural resource base, and our ability to advance technologically. It was crafted to balance these very critical interests with the welfare of future generations.
The set of strategies in the current analysis represent one vision of the future. As conditions change, so do outcomes. For example, this goal incorporates a price of $25 per ton for carbon. If the price was $50 per ton, we would reach the year 2000 level of emissions by 2017.
Most importantly, as we proceed and as new technologies and strategies evolve, we are going to use the best options to benefit the climate and to enable our economy to be sustained. We will remain engaged and make course corrections. This is not the final word on our goal, our policies or our analysis so we ask business, government leaders, and the public to stay engaged to help “steer the ship.”
Achieving the goal will have a cost. Preliminary analysis suggests that it is not prohibitive nor will it disadvantage Utah business or families. Additional analysis will explore how climate policies will interact with major economic indicators such as jobs, prices, etc., and this work will further refine the goal and our ability to meet or exceed it.
Stakeholder Meetings
DEQ hosted a Stakeholder meetings to discuss results from research conducted by the Duke University Nicholas Institute on greenhouse gas mitigation policy options for Utah. Information from those meetings is posted below.
Presentations from June 2 Meeting
Information from the May 19 Meeting
Information from March 31 Meeting
Information from November 13, 2007 Briefing
Development of a Utah-specific GHG Reduction Goal
Charge: Establish a Utah-specific Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goal by May, 2008
Steps:
- Use a “bottom up” approach to analyze options in the BRAC report.
- Policy analysis will look at Utah-specific costs, benefits, etc.
- Work is being done by an independent, impartial team of experts with experience in policy, economics and environmental analysis
- Team has national experience in similar projects and is also Utah “savvy”
- Stakeholder participation will continue
- Assist with Utah-specific input parameters, conditions, and policy descriptions
- Assist by providing “ground truth” perspective to the analytical results
- Policy analysis will look at Utah-specific costs, benefits, etc.
- “Layer” policies according to benefits, costs, and timeframes.
- Create specific or range of GHG reduction goals for a future time horizon(s).
- Provide recommendation to Governor Huntsman by May, 2008
Tentative Time Schedule
- November/December 2007: Develop analytical plan and option parameterization
- January-March, 2008: Perform Analysis
- March 2008: Initial stakeholder analytical reviews
- April-May, 2008: Continue Analysis and feedback
- Mid-May, 2008: Provide major findings on options
- June, 2008: Continue analysis for policy implementation support
Stay Informed
If you would like to receive periodic e-mail notices of meetings or related announcements, please send us an e-mail and indicate GHG Goal in the subject line.
Revised: November 9, 2009
