Utah
Utah delegation explores Iceland's example in carbon capture to reduce emissions
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — A Utah delegation is looking to Iceland to help pave the way for a cleaner energy future for the state.
The delegation is focused on geothermal power, but they’re also looking at ways to get closer to net zero emissions.
Carbon capture and recycling could play a major role.
If you’ve ever heard of carbon credits, a lot of them go to a facility called Mammoth. It is the world’s largest carbon storage facility, and is run by Carbfix, a subsidiary of Reykjavík Energy.
Mick Thomas, director of Utah’s Division of Oil, Gas and Mining, speaks to KSL TV on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
“Definitely, there’s potential in Utah,” said Mick Thomas, director of the Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. “It’s about being able to capture every molecule of energy off of certain carbon molecules we go through.”
Thomas said it’s one of two solutions he believes Utah leaders will take a close look at.
Carbfix captures carbon emissions, turning it into a liquid.
Wells like the ones in Iceland send the carbon deep underground to where it’s solidified by nature. But the challenge is that this process takes a lot of money and energy.
The end result looks similar to what naturally occurring carbon rocks look like.
A sample of stored carbon. (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
“The closer you can get the injection site and the storage facility to the actual point source of the CO2,” Thomas said. “The less cost it is.”
That’s the kind of approach Carbfix takes, with a lot of the expense being covered by individuals and companies that want to reduce their overall footprint and offset their own emissions through buying those credits.
Carbon molecues recycled
But those carbon molecules can be recycled too.
On Wednesday, the Utah delegation heard from Carbon Recycling International that converts some of the emissions into methanol, which can be used in fuel.
“I’m thrilled,” Thomas said. “It’s very exciting. Yeah, as a geologist, very cool.”
Utah delegates speak to Carbon Recycling International. (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
Thomas said it’s a big deal to be able to pull a useable product and recycle the carbon rather than simply burying it.
“There’s a significant interest in Utah compared to other states that I have worked in to make this a reality,” he said.
The likely application would be to reduce coal and natural gas emissions as they continue to serve as reliable baseload sources.
“Solutions are very expensive,” said Dusty Monks, acting director for the Utah Office of Energy Development.
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (KUTV) — An AMBER Alert was canceled after being issued for a 9-year-old boy out of South Salt Lake.
Marie Erika Lynn Marsh, 33, was accused of abducting a 9-year-old non-family member.
The alert was issued at 5:38 p.m. It was canceled just after 6 p.m.
An AMBER Alert was issued for Raymond Vigil, a 9-year-old boy abducted by Marie Erika Lynn Marsh, a 33-year-old non-family member. (Photo: AMBER Alert)
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SALT LAKE CITY — More fire restrictions are being added in Utah despite some recent help in its drought situation.
The Bureau of Land Management is reinstating Stage 1 fire restrictions on land it manages in Juab and Millard counties on Friday. State land managers issued a similar order for Juab and Sanpete counties, which applies to state lands and unincorporated private lands in the county.
It prohibits building or maintaining any open fire or campfires using solid fuels or any ash-producing fuel in the section of central Utah, except for fire rings or grills at developed campgrounds or day-use areas on public state lands that have a pressurized running water system.
Open fires are also permitted at permanently constructed fire pits at private residences, as long as they have a pressurized water system.
The order also bans any smoking except within a vehicle or enclosed area, as well as grinding, cutting or welding of metal, or operating or using any internal combustion engine without a spark-arresting device. Violation can result in fines, restitution fees and even jail time.
It matches several other Stage 1 restrictions already in place across the state. Most of the restrictions are located in southwest Utah, but recent restrictions have crept up into central Utah and parts of the Wasatch region, too.
Utah Fire Info maintains a list of active fire restrictions in the state.
Both new orders were signed amid some encouraging signs in Utah’s drought situation this week. The amount of extreme drought in the state dropped from 60% last week to 43% this week, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported earlier Thursday. Most of the improvement came in other parts of central Utah.
However, nearly 95% of the state remains in at least severe drought, and all other parts of the state remain in at least moderate drought. That means it’s still plenty dry for new fires.
Close to 250 different fires have been reported across the state this year, burning over 12,000 acres of land. The entire state is currently listed as having above-normal fire potential as well, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.
“As fire danger continues to increase across the region, fire managers are asking the public to use caution with any activity that could spark a wildfire,” said Kayli Guild, fire prevention and communications coordinator for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
Fox News senior correspondent Alicia Acuna has the latest on two former Utah court clerks charged with harboring illegal aliens on ‘Special Report.’
Jennifer Joma and Lauren Moro, former Utah court clerks, plead not guilty to felony obstruction charges for aiding illegal immigrants. Federal prosecutors allege the clerks improperly accessed databases to identify undocumented individuals, then guided them out the courthouse’s back door to evade ICE agents. A trial is set for August.
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