Office of Energy Development

OVERVIEW

In 2010 Governor Herbert released his 10-Year Strategic Energy Plan, the first recommendation of which was the creation of an office dedicated solely to the development of Utah’s energy resources In the 2011 General Session, the Utah State Legislature created the Utah Office of Energy Development, and tasked it with implementing state energy policy, facilitating the development of the state’s conventional and alternative energy resources, and promoting energy education and outreach In April of 2011 Samantha Mary Julian, formerly of GOED, was appointed director of the newly formed office, and she immediately set about repositioning the office toward the advancement of the Governor’s 10-Year Strategic Plan

The Office of Energy Development’s (OED) vision is “to serve as the primary resource for advancing energy development in Utah,” and its mission is “to provide leadership in the balanced development of Utah’s abundant energy resources through public and private partnership for economic prosperity, energy independence, and a reliable, affordable energy supply ” OED will advance these broad goals through the following Strategic Objectives: creation and implementation of policy for the Governor, Legislature, and State; assisting industry; building relationships; pursuing funding opportunities; and promoting energy education

OED has staff dedicated to the promotion of Conventional, Unconventional, Renewable, and Energy Efficiency resources, and has a number of development tools that will be critical to Utah’s energy future Wolverine Oil and Gas drill rig at the Covenant Field in central Utah, near Sigurd.

The State Energy Program

The State Energy Program (SEP) has been with the state for decades, and is OED’s primary resource in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency education and outreach Through the SEP, OED provides trainings and seminars, offers tax credits to homeowners and business to support distributed generation, and helps partner institutions secure grant funding to support energy programs and research activities

Alternative Energy Development Incentive

Created in the 2012 General Session, the AEDI is a tax credit designed to advance the development of large-scale renewable energy and unconventional energy projects The post-performance credit will be equivalent to 75% of all newly generated state revenues, and will last for a period of 20 years, providing a long term incentive that will bolster two sectors that will be of vital importance to Utah in the coming years

Utah Energy Infrastructure Authority

The Infrastructure Authority was created in the 2012 General Session with the aim of helping to facilitate any energy delivery projects that help to advance responsible energy development in the state To that end, the Authority Board may authorize tax-free bonds to support the development of any transmission line or pipeline that meets broad criteria related to responsible energy development and rural economic development

U-Save Energy Fund

The Utah U-Save Energy Fund Program finances energy-related cost-reduction retrofits for publicly owned buildings including State, tribal, municipal (city and county), public school district, charter school, public college and public university facilities Low interest rate loans are provided to assist those institutions in financing their energy related cost-reduction efforts

For more information about the Office of Energy Development, contact Samantha Mary Julian, Director, at 801-536-4285 or sjulian@utah.gov.