CEDAR CITY, Utah — U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called for rural America to become a leader in energy development and production.
"When we think about AI and energy development, the future for rural America is super bright, literally bright, because of the role it's going to play in our country going forward," he told a crowd at Governor Spencer Cox's annual One Utah Summit.
Secretary Burgum was to appear in person Tuesday at the annual event at Southern Utah University. However, his trip was canceled because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. Instead, he appeared via a Zoom call with Gov. Cox that was broadcast to an auditorium. The governor praised the Trump administration for what it is trying to do for energy independence.
"Thank you for that vision, Mr. Secretary, it's music to my ears. We have an abundance mentality here in Utah, and we're proud to see that that finally coming to to Washington, DC," the governor told Secretary Burgum.
Southern Utah's film future focus of 'One Utah Summit':
Energy development has been a big push by Gov. Cox's administration and Republican legislative leaders, who have passed bills to green light many big projects — including nuclear power. Utah has long advocated an "all of the above" approach to energy. But Utah political leaders have also faced criticism about some of their energy pushes and their impact on the state's environment.
"You balance that by having an all of the above energy approach," insisted House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper. "This is something we’ve talked about the past four years. We want hydro, we want coal, we want solar, we want geothermal."
Energy demand is not unique to urban Utah, said Gunnison Mayor Lori Nay.
"We have a lot of manufacturing and if we ever get a power bump? A lot of really important material gets wasted. They can lose $10,000 in a bump. It’s important to have reliable, accessible power," she said.
Nate Walkingshaw, the CEO of the energy storage company Torus, urged policymakers at the One Utah Summit to look at permitting. Walkingshaw said Torus' products often face hurdles because of a patchwork of permit requirements in communities across the state.
"We probably need to come up with a much more efficient strategy so we can move more quickly," he said of permitting.
Secretary Burgum was asked by the governor about permitting reform on a federal level.
"Permitting has been a challenge. It's not a challenge, it actually became a weapon. It became a weapon to stop development. Stop energy development, stop mining, stop timber, stop transmission lines," he said.
Gov. Cox appeared briefly at his summit, quickly leaving the event to attend the funeral of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints President Russell M. Nelson. He did not make himself available to comment to FOX 13 News at the One Utah Summit about energy policy, the recent special session where he signed the redistricting bills. His staffers cited scheduling issues.
