Utah Geological Survey
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Summary of 2009 Utah Mineral Released

Utah’s mineral extraction industry recorded a successful year on 2009, according to a recently released publication.

The Utah Geological Survey’s (UGS) 2009 Summary of Mineral Activity in Utah publication reveals that despite a recession induced dip from peak commodity values in 2008, Utah ranked third nationally in the value of nonfuel minerals produced in 2009, accounting for about 7% of the total value of U.S. production. Utah mines and energy companies produced a gross value of $6.97 billion in mineral and energy commodities in 2009 from oil gas (37%), base metals (31%), industrial minerals (14%), coal-uranium (9%), and precious metals (9%). All sectors suffered a dip from mid-2008, except for precious metals which expanded on higher prices.

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Utah Geological Survey
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UTAH HOME PERFORMANCE PAYS FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT RETROFITS

Paying for home improvements that increase energy efficiency just got easier for Utah residents. A new program, Utah Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, will pay cash rebates to Utah homeowners to help offset the cost of retrofits that save energy and money.

Jason Berry, Utah State Energy Program Manager oversees Utah Home Performance.  He anticipates high demand for the program which covers up to 50% or 80% of the energy-efficient home improvements.

“We expect to perform almost 2,800 comprehensive, Home Performance assessments across the state,” Berry said.

“Having a Home Performance assessment is a great opportunity for Utah residents to find out how they can make their homes more comfortable and healthier for their families. These assessments let homeowners know what improvements will provide the greatest savings.”

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RELATED LINKS
Utah Home Performance
Utah State Energy Program

Utah Geological Survey

CASH REBATES FOR SOLAR AND WIND ENERGY SYSTEMS

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

Utah Geological Survey
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A CLOSE CALL IN ROCKVILLE

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) was notified of a large rock fall in Rockville, Utah Wednesday morning that damaged several buildings.  Geologists say it could have been much worse and are worried about the possibility of second boulder breaking loose.

Around 7:30 a.m., a boulder estimated to be 35-feet by 30-feet by 30-feet broke loose and rolled down a hill toward the home that Tamara Burton was renting.

Tyler Knudsen and Bob Blackett, UGS geologists, were asked by Rockville Mayor Alan Brown to investigate what happened.  According to air photos, the boulder had been there for at least four years after detaching from a ledge and sliding about 20 feet and coming to a rest on a 45-degree slope above Burton’s home.

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IN THE MEDIA

Salt Lake Tribune
KSL.com
Deseret News
ABC4.com
Local8news.com
The Spectrum
Los Angeles Times
Atlantic Journal Constitution

Utah Geological Survey

A CALL FOR HOME ENERGY RETROFIT GRANT APPLICATIONS

Utah is making a multi-million dollar investment in residential energy efficiency. The Utah State Energy Program (USEP) has issued a Request for Grant Applications (RGA) for a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program. Home Performance with ENERGY STAR offers a comprehensive approach to improving energy efficiency in existing homes.

USEP will award up to $4.5 Million for this program. The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program will include activities such as:

  • establishing market baselines and performance indicators,
  • contractor training opportunities,
  • homeowner outreach,
  • home performance assessments and a utility bill analysis,
  • projected cost-effectiveness of energy retrofits,
  • installation of energy efficiency measures, and
  • incentives for participation.

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Utah Geological Survey

TWO NEW FOSSIL RODENTS DISCOVERED IN UTAH

A newly-published report describes the discovery of two new prehistoric rodents in Utah. The report also identifies two fossil rodents and a rabbit previously known from other states. All are from a site near Sevier in central Utah.

“In addition to identifying the new species, the findings are significant because until now, Utah has been a big hole in the Miocene map of western North America for fossil mammals,” said Don DeBlieux, report co-author and paleontologist with the Utah Geological Survey (UGS). “The uplift and erosion of the Colorado Plateau which makes Utah such a good place for finding dinosaur fossils means that younger rocks and fossils, such as those from the Miocene Epoch which lasted from 23 to five million years ago, have been washed way.”

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Utah Geological Survey
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PUBLIC INFORMATION SERIES 95

UTAH’S ENERGY LANDSCAPE
Michael D. Vanden Berg

Did you know that Utah is one of only six states that generate electricity from geothermal sources? Did you know that Utah recently produced its one billionth ton of coal? Did you know that Utah has the second lowest price for home-heating natural gas in the nation? Did you know that Utah has been a net-exporter of energy since 1980?

These little known facts, along with many more interesting details, can be found in the Utah Geological Survey’s (UGS) new publication Utah’s Energy Landscape – a visual-based comprehensive description of Utah’s entire energy portfolio.

41p. booklet

PI-95……….$18.95

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IN THE MEDIA
Emery County Progress

Utah Geological Survey
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ENERGY EFFICIENCY FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR UTAH'S LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

About $8.5 million dollars are now available to local governments. The money represents a portion of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), which was allocated in March 2009. The funds were directed to state energy programs, larger cities and counties, and federally recognized tribes.

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IN THE MEDIA
The Spectrum
Deseret News

RELATED LINKS

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Package)

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant

Utah Geological Survey

Snake Valley Well Data Now Online

snake-valley-drillA new interactive map of Snake Valley with all of the well data, has recently been added to the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) Web site.  The West Desert Ground-Water Monitoring Network is almost complete and updates are available on a newly developed Google Earth™ interactive map.  The network will monitor ground water for more than 50 years in Snake Valley, western Millard County and adjacent areas.  The $3.5 million network is a response to planned ground-water development in east-central Nevada.  The Utah Geological Survey will upload data onto its Web site.

Objectives included: assessing the potential impacts of pumping on ground water and spring flow in Utah; evaluating flow patterns in the aquifer from Snake Valley to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge; determining baseline water-level and chemical trends in local and regional ground-water flow systems; and, measuring the capacity of the aquifers to transmit and store ground water.

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Utah Geological Survey

New Geologic Maps of Parts of Utah Valley and Adjacent Areas

The Utah Geological Survey’s newest geologic maps could prove useful in efforts to address geologic hazard and resource issues in Utah County. The maps cover parts of central and southern Utah Valley and surrounding areas.

The maps, each of which covers an area of about 55 square miles, include the Goshen Valley North (Map 230), Lincoln Point (Map 232), Provo (Map 233), Soldiers Pass (Map 235), and West Mountain (Map 234) 7.5’ quadrangles. Collectively, the maps include West Mountain, the southern part of the Lake Mountains, and parts of Goshen and Utah Valleys, as well as parts of the communities of Provo, Springville, Spanish Fork, and Payson.

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M-230
M-232
M-233
M-234
M-235