A coalition of 19 cities, towns and counties in Utah has formed to bring more renewable energy to the electric grid, bucking national trends as the Trump administration favors fossil fuels. The group includes urban centers like Salt Lake City and rural communities such as Coalville, and their collaboration could serve as a model for other U.S. localities seeking climate action despite federal pullback.

Utah Renewable Communities has set an ambitious target: generating enough clean electricity to offset power used in nearly 300,000 homes and businesses by 2030. The coalition plans to build solar arrays and wind farms, partnering with Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp. Participants will pay a $4 monthly fee on their electric bills starting next year, with low-income residents able to have the charge covered and customers permitted to opt out.

The effort required years of groundwork. Utah's state Legislature first had to pass legislation in 2019 creating a regulatory framework for community-utility collaborations, a process Republican State Rep. Steve Handy championed. The Public Service Commission of Utah officially approved the program earlier this year, with communities having until June 2 to pass local ordinances confirming participation.

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive voices point to climate urgency and economic opportunity as drivers of the coalition's work. Emily Quinton, sustainability director for Summit County and board secretary for the coalition, framed clean energy as a long-term investment in grid reliability and cost stability. "Clean energy is not just here and now," she said. "It absolutely is a long-term investment that I think leads to a stronger grid in the long run."

Luke Cartin, Park City's director of lands and sustainability, cited visible impacts of climate change on Utah's mountainous communities. Record warm winter temperatures this year zapped snowpack that typically supports ski operations through spring. "Instead of just saying, 'Hey, we held up a sign, but nothing happened,'" Cartin said, referring to traditional advocacy, "we made this change in one of the most conservative states in the country."

Summit County's Quinton noted diverse motivations among participating communities. "Some people are going to be motivated by pollution that can be avoided by clean energy," she said. "Some people are going to be motivated by a core climate action goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions." She added that local-level climate strategies can continue regardless of federal policy direction, pointing out the effort predates multiple administrations.

What the Right Is Saying

Conservative supporters emphasize practical energy economics and supply concerns rather than climate-focused framing. Rep. Steve Handy, who sponsored the 2019 legislation enabling community-utility partnerships, said adding more sources to Utah's energy mix simply makes sense given growing demand. "Utah needs all of the power that it can get with the data centers, the advent of artificial intelligence, EVs," he said. "We can't get it just from coal-based, fossil fuel-based, because that is now one of the more expensive options."

Castle Valley Town Council member Pamela Gibson said residents in her small desert community along the Colorado River do not consider themselves radical environmentalists but have witnessed climate impacts and want to protect their home. "I think most people recognize that there is a thing called climate change, and it is man-made, and that we should be doing everything we can," she said. The town has a population of roughly 347.

Some communities in the coalition have already taken incremental steps toward renewables. Moab installed a rooftop solar array on City Hall to power municipal offices. "Living in a rural place, a remote place, we have an attitude that if we want it, we're going to have to go out and find it," said Alexi Lamm, Moab's sustainability director. The collaboration will now allow the town to offer clean power to all residents.

What the Numbers Show

Utah's current energy profile reflects its conservative political landscape. Approximately 75 percent of the state's electricity comes from coal and natural gas, according to state data. However, about 22 percent of Utah's electricity already derives from renewable sources including wind, solar and hydropower.

The coalition aims to significantly increase that renewable share for member communities. The $4 monthly fee will apply to residential customers in participating areas beginning next year. Low-income households can have the charge waived, and opt-out provisions remain available.

On cost competitiveness, financial services firm Lazard has found that large-scale solar and wind projects provide more cost-competitive energy than natural gas, nuclear and coal generation. Renewable energy is considered reliable when paired with battery storage and grid management systems.

PacifiCorp's resource planning has shifted following federal policy changes. The company rolled back plans for new renewable energy construction after the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act unwound parts of the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act that had offered tax incentives for wind and solar development. "This significantly changed the economic modeling," wrote PacifiCorp spokesperson David Eskelsen in an email, noting the changes affected the company's least-cost portfolio calculations.

The Bottom Line

The Utah coalition represents a potential template for other states seeking to expand renewable energy independent of federal support. Cartin said he has fielded inquiries from communities in Montana and Idaho about replicating the model. "We figured this out," he told audiences there. "You can figure it out, too."

Severin Borenstein, faculty director of the University of California, Berkeley's Energy Institute at Haas, identified the initiative's value as primarily demonstrative. "That sort of leadership and setting an example, I think, is the real value of these sorts of efforts," he said. Such programs could build momentum from localities to counties to states if cost-effectiveness is demonstrated.

Utah Renewable Communities plans to announce its first clean energy project this summer, with power generation targeted for 2030. The coalition's success will likely depend on whether promised economic benefits materialize and whether the $4 monthly fee faces resistance during opt-out windows.