URC Utah Renewable Communities program
Utah Renewable Communities (URC) is program consisting of 19 Utah city and county members that are pioneering renewable energy solutions in our state with the goal of achieving net-100% renewable energy for all participating city and county members by 2030.
URC's framework was established under House Bill 411, sponsored by Rep. Steve Handy and Sen. Daniel Hemmert, and signed into law by Governor Gary Herbert in 2019.
CWH 2019 Commitment CWH City Council passed Resolution 2019-66 stating "recent advances in the field of energy technology have made renewable energy (meaning non-fossil fuel sources) more economically viable and cost effective than traditional sources." It cites CWH being "gateway to world-famous mountain recreation, with the ski industry being an economic contributor to the city that relies on preservation of the environment and protection of natural resources..." "The city will work collaboratively with Rocky Mountain Power to seek financially feasible methods ...that do not add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere while lowering our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy."
Scroll ahead to 2026. Rocky Mountain Power has not advanced its own single renewable energy project in Utah in the last ten years. According to the US EIA Energy Information Administration about 22% of Utah’s total electricity generation came from renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric and biomass) in 2024.
In recent CWH City Council deliberations, a 3-person majority of your representatives indicate opposition to staying within the URC program.. Advocates for remaining in URC are Mayor Bennion and CM Birrell.
The current push of URC is to meet the goal of achieving net-100% renewable energy for participating city and county members by 2030.
Cost to residents? What would we get? Utah Renewable Communities anticipates that a household choosing to participate will see $2-7 per month increase to have the amount of electricity they use every year matched with renewable energy by 2030.
Distinction between URC and Rocky Mountain Power's "Blue Sky" program? The two programs are not comparable. URC is a systemic approach that will greatly affect immediate advancement of renewable energy production and delivery since URC members represent 25% of RMP users. For what is projected to be $4 per month, a household is advancing the grid for renewable energy, making a system-wide advancement toward cleaner air.
Alternatively, Blue Sky gives residents who either have solar panels or are willing to pay $2 per 100 kilo-watt hours (kWh) which with the average 700 kWh per household usage is $15 monthly.. With only Blue Sky support, RMP has not advanced a single renewable energy project of their own in past 10 years.
URC is the only statewide program advancing renewable energy that the Utah Legislature has adopted. With rising temperatures, lowering snowfall, rising ozone and PM2.5 can Utah afford to continue reliance on fossil fuels?
When will we know more? Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) is analyzing and will announce requirements for URC by Spring, 2026. PSC announcement will trigger a 90-day response time for municipalities. CWH will need to pass a resolution indicating continuance in URC and be prepared to cover an $18,000 approximate cost to notify (through two mailings, etc) residents of URC requirement that any residents choosing to “opt-out” can do so at no expense. After the 90-day initial period, there will be (likely) a $30 opt-out one-time fee. All details will be known after the PSC forthcoming announcement.
CM Birrell's commentary, a core question: Does carbon belong in the ground?
"The deadly results of 100+ years of taking carbon in the form of fossil fuels from deep inside the earth and releasing them into Earth's eggshell thin "habitable atmosphere" is having catastrophic results. URC, regenerative agriculture, protections for biodiversity, marine protected areas, PFAS regulation and other sustainable programs will only help if they are embraced systemically. We can work with Nature to mitigate harm to ourselves, our offspring, all living creatures.
"For the health of all living creatures, we can focus on best practices and concentrate on best outcomes for the common good. We can contribute now to reducing suffering or look back in a few years in despair wondering why we didn't do more to avoid catastrophic problems for a great many in our population.”
In community,
Cottonwood Heights City Council Member Ellen Birrell, working with Nature not against it