Talk about newsworthy: a blue ribbon task force in Utah just came to the conclusion that humans are to blame for our climate woes!

However late they are to the party, I suppose any progress on this front is positive. Having one of the most "red" states in the country publicly accept this point of view has got to be a good thing.

According to the Deseret Morning News:

The task force recommended the following "high-priority options" — these are highlights, not all of the many detailed recommendations:

• Develop significant amounts of renewable energy resources, with the state having a portfolio of renewable energy, energy development zones, tax credits and incentives for renewable energy, pricing and metering strategies, and research and development on energy.

• "Encourage carbon capture and sequestration technology," in which carbon dioxide from emitters like coal-burning power plants is caught before it can reach the smokestacks, then pumped into an underground storage area.

• "Develop and deploy advanced generation technology," with incentives for advanced fossil fuel technologies that yield a reduction of carbon emissions.

• "Improve efficiency and reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide) at existing electricity generation plants." Tactics could include retrofitting plants to capture CO2, retiring old plants and building new, low-carbon plants.

• Promote combined heat and power distributed generation.

• "Develop and implement aggressive mass transit strategy."

• Reduce vehicle idling and vehicle speed, to cut down on emissions.

• Have the state vehicle fleet take the lead in changes.

• Set voluntary efficiency targets for residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

• Improve building codes.

• Preserve open space and agricultural land, trying to protect forests.

• Promote production of biomass fuel.

Given the predominance of coal in Utah's energy mix. the most significant among the high priority recommendations may be encouraging carbon capture and sequestration technology.

Stay tuned to see what Utah's Governor Huntsman chooses to do with this report.

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