UGS IN THE MEDIA Archives - Page 21 of 24

BRYCE CANYON PLANS GEOLOGY FESTIVAL FOR JULY 30-31

Desnews.com

Bryce Canyon National Park will celebrate its geology July 30-31 with a “Geology Festival.”

The Geology Festival will offer daily ranger-guided walks and talks in the canyon and on the rim, children’s activities on geology, guided bus tours through the park and illustrated programs. Click here for a list of these activities.

Known for its colorful and oddly shaped rock spires called hoodoos, the area was establish

ed as a national park in 1928. Each year more than a million visitors from all over the world come to the park to marvel at its beautiful scenery and delicate formations.

To learn more about the park’s geology and the event, go to http://www.nps.gov/brca/

July 15, 2010

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.”

July 12, 2010

NEW ON THE WEB, UGS IN THE MEDIA

UTAH RENEWABLE ENERGY REBATE

There is still time to reserve a renewable energy rebate for residential or commercial solar thermal, residential photovoltaic or small commercial wind energy system.

The Utah Renewable Energy Rebate Program, managed by the Utah State Energy Program (USEP), can cover up to 25 percent of the cost of a professionally installed system, and may be used with other state, federal and utility incentives. “This incentive is an excellent opportunity for consumers interested in investing in renewable energy. Prices for installed systems are very reasonable by historic standards, further benefiting consumers,” said Chris Tallackson, USEP Incentives Coordinator.

Rebate reservations are processed on a first come, first served basis until funds are exhausted, so consumers should contact a Utah licensed professional installation contractor to begin the rebate reservation process.

Since launching on April 19, more than 275 applications have been approved for projects that will stimulate investment of $11 million within Utah. The projects will generate more than 1.8 million kilowatt hours of electricity. A typical household consumes 850 kilowatt hours per month.

For additional information and a rebate reservation form, visit the Renewable Energy Rebate Program or email renewablerebate@utah.gov.

WIND DEVELOPERS TEST NORTHEASTERN UTAH

ksl.com

A Utah startup says it will add sonar and laser devices along with mechanical wind meters to assess the potential for a wind farm along the Wyoming border.

Together, the devices will tell the company where on leased lands to put spinning turbines of different sizes to match wind conditions that can vary with the terrain.

It’s a nuanced approach for wind farms, said Dick Cutler, managing member of Flaming Gorge Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Salt Lake City-based RAAM Power Inc. “We’re almost becoming a wind research facility,” he said Monday.

A contractor was calibrating the sonar measuring devices Monday in Utah’s remote Daggett County, which hugs the Wyoming border.

The company says it has snapped up rights to around 50 square miles, promising royalties to ranchers for use of their lands to install wind turbines.

GRANTS HELP LIGHT UP SMALLER TOWNS

thespectrum.com

If there is such a thing as good pressure, then that’s what Hurricane Power Director Dave Imlay is currently experiencing.

In May, the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems gave the city a $121,950 cut of a $1.2 million federal stimulus grant to upgrade Utah streetlights with energy-saving, LED lamps and fixtures.

That means lighting the city would involve less light pollution, less energy and, of course, cost less money. But it also means Hurricane and 13 other Utah municipalities — including Santa Clara and Enterprise — need to get the new lights up as soon as possible.

“We’re under a lot of pressure to get the money spent,” Imlay said. “These LED lights are very expensive. We want to get as many as we can.”

When it comes to pressure, it could be a lot worse than having to spend grant money on improvements.

Though street lighting is usually a loss for municipalities, Imlay said the addition of the LED lamps would save anywhere from 30-70 percent of energy, depending on voltage.

“We’ll be able to lower those losses,” he said. “We’ll have more revenue and be able to defer any rate increases.”

With the new lights in place, Imlay said the city could expect to save nearly $15,000 a year in reduced power costs.

Instead of replacing all lights with LED replacements of a uniform size and brightness, Imlay said the city has been working to customize different types with different areas.

June 14, 2010

UGS IN THE MEDIA

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.

May 27, 2010

UGS IN THE MEDIA

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

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.

NEW BOOKLET PROVIDES DETAILS ON UTAH'S ENERGY RESOURCES

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.”

GET IT HERE

April 27, 2010

UGS IN THE MEDIA

UTAH PALEONTOLOGISTS FIND MEAT-EATING DINOSAUR

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.

IN THE MEDIA

deseretnews.com

April 20, 2010

BRYCE CANYON PLANS GEOLOGY FESTIVAL FOR JULY 30-31

UTAH HOME PERFORMANCE PAYS FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT RETROFITS

UTAH RENEWABLE ENERGY REBATE

WIND DEVELOPERS TEST NORTHEASTERN UTAH

GRANTS HELP LIGHT UP SMALLER TOWNS

COLORADO PLATEAU YIELDS ANOTHER NEW DINO SPECIES

REBATES AVAILABLE FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT UPGRADES

REBATES GALORE FOR GOING ENERGY-EFFICIENT

NEW BOOKLET PROVIDES DETAILS ON UTAH'S ENERGY RESOURCES

UTAH PALEONTOLOGISTS FIND MEAT-EATING DINOSAUR

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