Does being a good environmental steward require coal production? Utah’s newest caucus says ‘yes’
Members of Utah’s House majority formed the Environmental Stewardship Caucus this session to “balance” essential energy needs with a distinctly conservative approach to caring for the climate, according to the group’s chairman, Rep. Colin Jack, R-St. George, and vice chairman, Rep. Bridger Bolinder, R-Grantsville.
From a “conservative standpoint,” conversations about the environment are often one-sided, Bolinder said. They emphasize worst-case scenarios without considering the human cost of proposed solutions. In an interview with the Deseret News on Friday, Jack and Bolinder said one of their goals is to educate Utahns about the important function of fossil fuels, as well as the practical steps that can be taken to transition to cleaner alternatives without compromising the state’s ability to keep the lights on.
“We all care about quality of life, and quality of air and water and land,” Jack said. “That’s one of the fundamental planks of being a Republican, is to preserve and to take care, being good stewards of our environment. And so we’re just helping to underline that.”
But being a good steward first requires understanding the reality of the state’s energy needs, the two freshman lawmakers said.
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Jack, who’s background in energy policy includes decades developing electricity sources around the world, said despite its bad reputation, coal is responsible for making the state’s power grid reliable and responsive.
“We’ve been trying to message that a little bit better,” Jack said.
Coal accounts for two-thirds of the state’s power, Jack said, and even more during peak power usage between 4-9 p.m. because it can be quickly activated to meet demand. And there’s a lot of it.
“In the state of Utah, we have enough coal, that we know about, to power the entire country for 100 years,” Jack said.
While Jack understands the concerns about coal’s effect on air pollution and the level of green house gasses in the atmosphere, he said “nobody has yet invented the replacement for fossil fuels.”
Wind and solar are “absolutely not equivalent” in their ability to provide a steady, and dynamic, stream of power throughout the day and year, Jack said. So, unless the federal government eases regulations on nuclear reactors, or progress is made on hydrogen hubs or geothermal sites, “we’re necessarily going to have coal and natural gas to meet our demands because nobody wants the lights to go off every day at 4 p.m. or 6 p.m.”
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Bolinder, whose expertise lies in mining, mineral extraction and gravel production, brought a similar frankness to the topic of water usage and ensuring the survival of the Great Salt Lake.
Before entering the legislature last year, Bolinder said he had heard that state lawmakers had not done enough to address the lake’s water shortfall. But during his first session, Bolinder saw not only how much legislators had done, but how many factors there were to consider to balance the needs of the lake, agriculture and population growth.
“We also need to remember that people live here,” Bolinder said. “It’s a lot bigger approach than I ever thought before I was in the Legislature.”
What will the Environmental Stewardship Caucus do?
Jack and Bolinder said the Environmental Stewardship Caucus will meet every other week of the session to provide GOP lawmakers with expert advice and focused discussion on how to craft policy that recognizes human flourishing as the end goal of environmental policy, taking both energy abundance and healthy surroundings into account.
House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, mentioned the majority’s newest caucus during his opening day speech, saying it would be a key player in achieving legislative priorities for 2024. The Republican-controlled legislature has designated Jan. 29 through Feb. 2 “Energy Week,” with bills emerging from the caucus taking center stage. Each proposal contributes to an “all-of-the-above” approach that seeks to achieve energy independence, push back against federal regulation and invest in clean energy innovation.
These are the same priorities Utah 3rd District Rep. John Curtis has championed at the federal level. Curtis, a Republican who has made a name for himself in Congress by founding the House Conservative Climate Caucus, reached out to the Deseret News in support of what state lawmakers are doing.
“I’m grateful to have partners in the Utah Legislature who help fight for energy and environmental policies that are affordable, reliable and clean,” the statement said. “Practical and exportable answers can be found in innovation embraced by the free market. Conservatives have a seat at the table to advance good energy policy, evident in the broad support the Conservative Climate Caucus receives in the House Republican Conference. I expect the Environmental Stewardship Caucus will follow that success and work with us to tackle these issues.”
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This week Utah lawmakers will take up five major energy bills, Jack said, aiming to create a state energy plan, restructure energy policies to prioritize reliability, protect the state’s electric portfolio from plant closures, define clean energy and establish incentives for the next generation of energy innovation.
What’s the Environmental Stewardship Caucus’ stance on climate change?
Democratic lawmakers have criticized their GOP counterparts for failing to respond to what they see as the urgent problems tied to carbon emissions. In a written statement to the Deseret News, Rep. Joel Briscoe, D-Salt Lake City, who has called on the Legislature to make the Great Salt Lake and air quality an even bigger priority, said climate change must be a central factor in the development of energy policy.
“The long-term use of coal, natural gas and oil is unsustainable. It adversely impacts our environment and is a significant contributor to climate change,” Briscoe said.
He continued: “Failing to address climate change during the policy making process means overlooking opportunities to responsibly manage our resources. It’s crucial to acknowledge past actions that have contributed to climate change and revise our approaches to ensure a future for Utah’s next generations. These approaches need to focus on infrastructure and methods that protect our environment and prioritize renewable energy sources.”
While the Environmental Stewardship Caucus has not taken a stance on human-caused global warming, Jack and Bolinder said the disagreement between the two parties is not about whether the state needs to upgrade its relationship to its natural resources, but how.
“We feel that being stewards, being active in this field and actively managing those things is critical and a real key to leaving the world a better place, for our kids and grandkids,” Jack said. “The question is how do we do that.”
