Considered one of the top conferences of its kind in the country, the Uintah Basin Energy Summit held Tuesday at the Uintah Conference Center provided a day of speakers and panels featuring industry and government leaders. Their attitude about the future of energy in the Uintah Basin was undeniably optimistic. Duchesne County Commissioner Irene Hansen says the conference had a great turnout with an estimated 400+ people in attendance and that the updates from many of the production companies were positive with several rigs currently operating compared to last year when operations were almost non-existent. Elected officials from both Duchesne and Uintah Counties were there and took turns introducing speakers and panels. Several state departments were there to give reports including Thom Carter from the Governor’s Office of Energy, Redge Johnson of Utah’s Public Lands Policy and Coordinating Office and Dave Ure from the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. “These were huge highlights that definitely confirmed the state of Utah’s strong and ongoing support for Uintah Basin energy,” shares Hansen. Among the most anticipated presentations of the day, the Uinta Basin Railway panel provided an update on the rail project that is nearing the finish line though still waiting for final approval from the Federal Surface Transportation Board. The conclusion was that “there is still great optimism and consensus that the project is needed and financially viable by the private partners.” Uintah County Commissioner Brad Horrocks agreed, saying it was great news from the railroad industry leaders who are very optimistic about the rail becoming a reality and offered great predictions for the future of the Basin. The 2021 Uintah Basin Energy Summit featured 9 speakers and 3 panels for an educational and enthusiastic day focused on the future of energy in the Uintah Basin.
