Did you know that Utah Has been a net exporter of energy since 1980? That Utah has the second-lowest price for home heating via natural gas production in 2008 reached an all time high of $2.7 billion?

These are just a few of the facts detailed in a new publication, “Utah’s Energy Landscape,” from the Utah Geological Survey. Michael Vanden Berg, project geologist, said the 41-pages publication provides details bars, graphs, and breakdowns of Utah’s energy resources and is the result of months of comprehensive data gathering.

“This is the first time we’ve put all of this information together in one sources,” he said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while.”

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GET IT HERE

KSL.com

Paleontologists are excavating intact bones of a meat-eating dinosaur in central Utah.

The find, made in late November, was announced Monday by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the College of Eastern Utah’s Prehistoric Museum.

The museum’s field and laboratory manager, John Bird, says the site east of Castle Dale includes more than 20 vertebrae that are attached to one another. He believes they are from an allosaurus, a fairly common find in Utah from the Jurassic period.

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IN THE MEDIA

deseretnews.com

Salt Lake Tribune

Utahns who want to tap the sun and wind for energy might be eligible for cash rebates of up to nearly $5,000.

The money — which Utahns now can apply for — would come from the state’s share of the federal stimulus aimed at renewable energy.

It would be available to households, small businesses and nonprofit groups that install solar photovoltaic, solar thermal or wind-energy systems, Chris Tallackson, incentives coordinator for the Utah Geological Survey’s State Energy Program, said Monday.

“This program will stimulate employment in grid-tied renewable-energy construction,” he said, “and increase distributed renewable-energy capacity.”

Rebates also will be available for energy-efficient appliances purchased and installed starting May 12.
Reports from the East Coast said that states began offering the rebates at the end of last week, but by Monday they were all taken. That’s because those states allowed residents to reserve the rebates before they actually bought the appliances or installed the systems, Tallackson said.

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*Notes:

1. Renewable energy rebate maximums are as follows:
__ _ ___ _ ____ _ Residential      Commercial
Solar Photovoltaic      $8,750             $50,000
Solar Thermal             $2,500             $10,000
Wind                             $4,800             $4,800

2. Appliance rebate
Applications for rebates will be mailed-in by the consumer after purchasing an eligible appliance. There will not be a reservation process for appliance rebates. Rebates will be paid on a first received, first processed basis until funds are exhausted.

IN THE MEDIA

Sunpluggers.com
ABC4.com
KCPW.org

A new cash rebate incentive program for solar and wind energy systems begins today. The Utah State Energy Program (USEP) announced applications are now available for Utah residents, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations interested in generating renewable energy. The rebate amounts cover approximately 25 percent of the cost of a typical residential system.

“This program will stimulate employment in grid-tied renewable energy construction and increase distributed renewable energy capacity,” said Chris Tallackson, Incentives Coordinator.
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RELATED LINKS

Renewable Energy Rebate Program
Utah State Energy Program

Deseret News

Folks waiting to buy a furnace or a water heater might want to hold out a little longer. But if, like Glen Jensen, you’re in need of a dishwasher, go for it.

Utah has finally announced the start date for and published the list of items for which it will offer rebates as part of the Utah State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program.

The state has nearly $2.35 million in federal stimulus money to help people exchange energy-hog appliances for more-efficient models.

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Salt Lake Tribune

It wasn’t The Big One, but Thursday’s earthquake did enough shaking to make northern Utah take notice.

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit five miles northeast of Randolph at 5:59 p.m. Thursday, according to the University of Utah Seismograph Stations.

The shaking at the Rich County Sheriff’s Office in Randolph knocked down pictures, but did not generate reports of injuries or damages, said dispatcher Russ Handley.

At the Randolph Sinclair station, there was a loud rumble and some bottles tipped over, said manager Tammy Hoffman.

“It kind of shook people up, but some people who were driving [at the time] didn’t even know it happened,” she said.

A 4.9 is a “light” earthquake, according to Kristine Pankow, associate director of the University of Utah Seismograph Stations. It wouldn’t be enough to knock people over, but people would feel it, she said. However, it was the largest quake since 1992, she said. On average, Utah gets an earthquake of about magnitude 5 every 10 years, but this one waited 18.

“I guess it was just time,” she said.

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IN THE MEDIA

KSL.com
Deseret News
StarValleyIndependent.com

EARTHQUAKE RESOURCES

Utah Seismic Safety Commission
Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country

Utah Geological Survey
University of Utah Seismograph Stations

ksl.com

Gov. Gary Herbert has designated April 4-10 as Earthquake Preparedness Week.

A website provides tips on what to do in preparation for an earthquake and its aftermath.

The Utah Seismic Safety Commission says about 700 earthquakes, including aftershocks, occur every year in Utah.

Roughly 80 percent of the state’s population would be affected by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the Salt Lake City segment of the Wasatch Fault.

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thespectrum.com

Join Bill Lund, Senior Scientist with the Utah Geological Survey, and learn about the structure of the active earth of Southwestern Utah. Might we experience events similar to those that have recently affected Haiti, Turkey, Chile, and Japan?

April 9: The Geology of Kanab Point

April 16: Pioche; The Early Days

April 23: Earth Day Celebration

April 30: To Be Determined

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thespectrum.com

A series of springtime lectures starts Friday with a presentation on faults and earthquakes in southwestern Utah, scheduled for noon at the Interagency Information Center, 345 E. Riverside Drive in St. George.

Bill Lund, senior scientist with the Utah Geological Survey, is scheduled to give a presentation on the structure of active earth in southwestern Utah and give insight as to whether the region could experience an earthquake similar to those that recently affected Haiti, Turkey, Chile and Japan.

The April Brown Bag Program series, sponsored by the Dixie/Arizona Strip Interpretive Association, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, will feature lectures each Friday of the month, covering topics such as the geology of Kanab Point, the history of Pioche, and a musical Earth Day celebration.

Lectures are free to attend, but space is limited and those interested are encouraged to obtain tickets in advance from the Interagency Information Center.

For more information, call 435-688-3246.

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