Utah Leaders Hinder Efforts To Develop Solar Energy Supply

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed two bills this year that ended solar development tax credits and imposed a new tax on solar generation despite solar power accounting for two-thirds of the new projects waiting to connect to the state's power grid. The legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature has already had an impact. Since May, when the laws took effect, 51 planned solar projects withdrew their applications to connect to the grid. That represents more than a quarter of all projects in Utah's transmission connection queue. The moves came as Cox promoted Operation Gigawatt, an initiative to double the state's energy production in the next decade through what he called an "any of the above" approach. A third bill aimed at limiting solar development on farmland narrowly missed the deadline for passage but is expected to return next year. Rocky Mountain Power earlier this year asked regulators to approve a 30% electricity rate hike. Regulators eventually awarded a 4.7% increase.

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