Dear Mr.

Ron Allen, Chairman of Utahs Public Service Commission,

Utah is a unique state with five cherished national parks, a rapidly growing economy, and
is full of citizens with an enormous sense of community. Before long, Utah will be approaching a
crux that will determine the continued success or eventual decline in the prosperity of our
economy. This tipping point for our continued growth lies in the interconnectivity of our
environment, social and economic health. With innovation in our policy, zoning laws, and
technology, Utah has the potential to become the standard for healthy, sustainable, and
economically strong statehood.
The UN estimates that there is no simple threshold beyond which climate change moves
from safe to dangerous. Many impacts are already being detected across the world, from changes
in extreme weather and ecosystems, to slowdown in productivity gains for some key crops. This
is already proving to be devastating for Utahs water supply as more water needs to be siphoned
to not only maintain our own agricultural practices here in Utah, but also in Nevada and
California, both states with preexisting water rights that out-date our own states rights to our
water.
Models show that with rapid global action to cut emissions, total human-induced
warming could be held below 2C. Under baselines assuming no action, warming could exceed
6C. Some disruption and irreversible losses are expected at 2C. Losses accelerate with arming,
and very severe damage is expected in a world reaching 4C. The impacts will be unevenly
distributed and there are currently wide uncertainties about their magnitude. The allowable total
for a likely2 chance of staying below 2C will be exceeded in the mid-2030s if global emissions
continue at the current rate.
That gives us only 14 years to radically change the way that we emit carbon, but it also
gives us 14 years to use social and environmental changes to produce economic growth and
overall result in a sustainable state.
One way that we can change the rezoning and distribution of utilities in the Beehive State
is to make it possible for communities to invest in a photovoltaic energy array and share the costs
and benefits for more than one household. Places like Sams, Denmark, are doing this and the
energy saved is enormous. To make this possible however, we would need to radically change
the way we culturally think about energy sharing and increase community support for renewable
energies. Creating incentive programs, or holding community meetings meant to educate citizens
on the benefits of investing in renewable energy together are one way to do this. Finally, by
focusing on invigorating the renewable energy sector, we will be able to retrain individuals
working for coal or natural gas companies on how to be green-collar workers. In no way
would we be taking jobs away from the community, rather we would be redistributing them all
while improving the health of our citizens and the efficiency of our state.
I hope you take this proposed solution, albeit in infancy, into consideration and work towards a
state that will be livable for centuries to come.
Sincerely,
Gabrielle Regenhardt