Utah Geological Survey

COLORADO PLATEAU YIELDS ANOTHER NEW DINO SPECIES

Salt Lake Tribune

A team of scientists that includes Utah state paleontologist James Kirkland have identified a new dinosaur from a partial skull and other fossil bone fragments recovered in a 91-million-year-old formation in western New Mexico.

Jeyawati rugoculus appears to be a link between the iguanodon lineage and hadrosaurs, a highly evolved group of duck-billed dinosaurs that was abundant in North American during the closing chapters of the dinosaurs’ reign, according to findings published this month in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Lead author Andrew McDonald, a doctoral student of paleontology at the University of Pennsylvania, believes this plant-eating creature roamed the western shore of what was once an inland seaway that cut North America in half during mid-Cretaceous era. McDonald authored the paper with Kirkland and Doug Wolfe as part of his senior thesis at the University of Nebraska.

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Utah Geological Survey

Glad You Asked—What are those lines on the mountain? From bread lines to erosion-control lines

by Mark Milligan

Recent photo of erosion-control terraces constructed by the CCC in the 1930s, above the Bonneville shoreline in North Salt Lake, Davis County.

Sometimes I get a public inquiry that leads to a “Glad You Asked” article, and sometimes I see something interesting in the field and wish I would get a question about it. This time it was a case of the latter.

A gentleman called and asked, “What are the lines up on the side of the mountain?” Along the Wasatch Front we have fault lines, shorelines, lines from rock layers (bedding planes), lines formed by volcanic dikes, and lines formed by other natural phenomena.

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Utah Geological Survey

SURVEY NOTES volume 42, number2

This Issue Contains:

  • Modeling Ground-Water Flow in Cedar Valley
  • Bringing Earth’s Ancient Past to Life
  • Ground-Water Monitoring Network
  • Energy News: Saline Water Disposal in the Uinta Basin, Utah
  • Glad You Asked: How many islands are in Great Salt Lake?
  • GeoSights: Fremont Indian State Park, Sevier County, Utah
  • Survey News
  • New Publications

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PAST ISSUES

Utah Geological Survey

REBATES AVAILABLE FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT UPGRADES

ksl.com

If you’re thinking about replacing that old water heater, clothes washer or other appliance, now is a good time to think about doing that. Starting May 12, the Utah State Energy Program has more than $2 million available for rebates on energy-saving appliances.

This is part of the federal economic stimulus program, called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, that has been going on for the past couple of years. This one operates similar to Cash for Clunkers — the program that helped remove old vehicles off the road. Now we have Cash for Appliances.

The federal government is distributing $300 million in all 50 states to urge people to replace older, energy-eating appliances.

Cash for Appliances Utah rebates:
• $75 rebate on clothes washers with a modified energy factor (MEF) of 2.0 or greater and a water factor (WF) of 6.0 or less
• $30 rebate on ENERGY STAR® qualified room air conditioners
• $300 rebate on ENERGY STAR® qualified gas furnaces with an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of at least 90%
• $300 on ENERGY STAR® qualified gas tankless water heaters with an energy factor (EF) of at least.82
• $50 on gas storage water heaters with an energy factor (EF) of at least .67

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RELATED LINKS

Cash for Appliances Utah

Utah State Energy Program

Utah Geological Survey

REBATES GALORE FOR GOING ENERGY-EFFICIENT

Salt Lake Tribune

First, there was Cash for Clunkers. Now, there’s Cash for Appliances.

States have been given $300 million in federal stimulus money to create rebate programs that encourage consumers to make energy-efficient appliance upgrades.

Utah’s $2.3 million portion is going toward a Cash for Appliances program that starts Wednesday and will provide rebates of $30 to $300 to those who purchase energy-efficient washers, room air conditioners, water heaters or furnaces. Each state’s program is different, with various rebate amounts covering different items.

Although some other states are offering rebates on purchases of a longer list of appliances, including refrigerators and dishwashers, Utah officials say they wanted to hone in on a more select group of power-gobbling appliances.

“We’re focusing on where most of the energy is used in the home,” said Chris Tallackson, incentives coordinator with the Utah State Energy Program.

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RELATED LINKS

Utah State Energy Program

Cash for Appliances-Utah

Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency

Utility Rebate Programs