Governor’s Office of Economic Development Increases Efforts in Energy Sector

Utah is beginning to take steps forward in the new renewable energy economy. While the state continues to actively support the traditional energy industry, it has over the last two years, seen a significant increase in renewable energy companies interested in locating in Utah. Companies particularly in wind, solar and geothermal manufacturing have been making significant investments in the State.   

During the 2009 session, the Utah legislature recognized that the national interest in renewable energy production and the equipment to manufacture various forms of renewable energy will only grow.  Consequently, they passed two key pieces of legislation during the session.  The first provides incentives to induce companies who manufacture renewable energy products to locate in the state.  The Renewable Energy Development Incentive (REDI) was created and the Governor's Office of Economic Development was directed to begin recruiting companies in the industry to locate operations in Utah.  REDI allows companies who manufacture renewable energy components, or who generate utility-scale renewable energy, to receive a refundable tax credit of up to 100% of their new state taxes for the life of a project.  The second law created the Utah Generated Renewable Energy Electricity Network Authority (UGREEN) to oversee and develop transmission corridors for the energy created from renewable energy production sites to get this energy to consumers.  Communities around the state will soon be setting guidelines for renewable energy permitting and significant growth in the renewable energy industry is expected.  

To meet the demands of a growing renewable energy industry, development of a "green workforce" will be critical to Utah's effort being made in the new energy economy.  In order to supply an adequately trained workforce the Department of Workforce Services. 

(DWS) and representatives from Higher Education and the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) program are working with GOED to develop training grants and distribute funds to foster workforce development and innovation in the industry. 

As a result of this activity, Utah needed a person as the central point of contact to help move all the initiatives and programs forward.  The Governor's Office of Economic Development and the State Energy Program teamed together to fund an Energy and Natural Resources Cluster Director position using state funds and federal stimulus money. 

Samantha Mary Julian joined the Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) as the Energy & Natural Resources Cluster Director.  In this capacity, Samantha will be working with companies and associations in all parts of the energy industry.  She will be working to foster growth within the energy industry and encourage workforce development.

Prior to joining GOED, Samantha served as a Business Development Manager for the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUtah). In this capacity, Samantha recruited companies to the State and worked closely with corporate executives who were considering expanding or relocating their companies to Utah. Samantha maintains close working relationships within the business community, as well as with state and local government officials. One of her main focus areas, prior to joining GOED, was in the renewable energy industry.  She is prepared to address the challenges companies in the energy and natural resources sector may face when doing business in the State. Samantha's breadth of experience, strong organizational and relationship building skills, as well as the ability to manage projects through complex and challenging processes will be fully utilized in moving the Energy & Natural Resources cluster effort forward.

"Utah has been long recognized as a leader in energy resources, and with the numerous new and traditional energy technologies hitting the market, our workforce and entrepreneurial spirit will keep us right on track," said Ms. Julian. "I am excited to join the GOED team to work with our partners, look for opportunities, and collaborate with industry and academia to secure our future for the great people of Utah." 

Three goals outlined for the first year of the Energy & Natural Resources cluster are:

• Relationships & Connections - Link the resources of our partner organizations, educational institutions, industry leaders and associations to strengthen Utah's market position and create an understanding of the energy sector for our citizens.
• Industry - Facilitate the organization of the industry supply chain and the various players within it.
• Education - Support the advancement of workforce development efforts.

About the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development

The Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) mandate is to provide rich business resources for the creation, growth and recruitment of companies to Utah and to increase tourism and film production in the state. GOED accomplishes this mission through the administration of programs that are based around industries or "economic clusters" that demonstrate the best potential for development. GOED utilizes state resources and private sector contracts to fulfill its mission.