NATURAL RESOURCES Roundtable.

• Author: Wokoma, Ncophia

Every month, Utah Business partners with Holland & Hart to host a roundtable event featuring industry insiders. This month, environmental leaders got together to discuss the outlook of natural resources and the environment in Utah, changes that have occurred over the past five years, and what Utah can do better to support our quality of life. Moderated by Holland & Hart partner, Angela Franklin, here are a few highlights from the event.

Tell us about the current landscape.

Thorn Carter | Executive Director | Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR)

Over the last 15 years, we've seen an increase in the population of about 32 percent and a reduction in emissions of about 35 percent. The outlook is good, but it means that we can't rest on our laurels because part of the reason why things have been going so well is because of the weather.

We've made progress, our air is cleaner, but it doesn't mean it's clean. We need to 1) be optimistic, and 2) continue to work hard as it relates to encouraging people to shift their behaviors. The governor had a declaration on Monday calling for an idle-free month, an idle-free season, so helping people understand why it's important to be idle-free and how they can be part of the solutions. I think we're all trying to find individual solutions.

If family or community, business, can find two or three things they can do every single day that will reduce their emissions or their combustion, then we're going to continue to see a reduction across the board.

Amanda Smith | VP Policy & Senior Counsel | sPower

I think the outlook for renewables throughout the country is good. There are some specific constraints in Utah, but generally, if you look across the country more and more, states and local governments are passing renewable portfolio standards, and either goals or requirements for meeting a non-carbon energy base in the next 10,15, 20 years.

So, what that does for our industry is drives that demand. A lot of companies have included in their sustainability goals a requirement to move to 100 percent renewable energy. The constraints are that now the development of renewables is facing a lot of the same hurdles that traditional, carbon-based energy has faced in the past with land-use constraints.

Community groups who are organizing don't want to have energy production in their communities, and other constraints with being able to connect to the grid. High costs when plugged into the transmission grid when the price of energy is continuing to drop. It's a very dynamic and interesting market.

Steve Kieffer | Director of Business Development | Big-D Construction

The outlook for the construction market is good. The market has been very strong for the last several years. The challenge we face is labor. You've got the prison, you've got the airport, you've got a lot of large projects, and we've had a real struggle getting those kids coming into the trades actually...