2019 Bills

SB 111: Taxpayer-Funded Grants for Electric Battery Storage

This bill passed the Senate and was not considered by the House. 

Libertas Institute opposes this bill

Staff review of this legislation finds that it violates our principles and should be opposed.

We believe that monopolies are inherently problematic, and the electric system in Utah needs deregulation and competition. To that end, we support alternative models that allow individuals to generate and use electricity, and legislation that facilitates that freedom.

Senator Lincoln Fillmore is sponsoring related legislation this year, Senate Bill 111, that aims to incentivize individuals to enter into this market, by providing taxpayer-funded grants of up to $7,500 to acquire energy storage in the hopes of:

  1. advancing the development and deployment of energy storage in the state;
  2. facilitating the transition of energy storage into the marketplace;
  3. improving emergency preparedness and resiliency; or
  4. enhancing job creation in Utah’s energy sector.

While we support the overall goal of diversifying Utah’s energy market, we do not support taxpayer grants of this type, redistributing wealth and incentivizing investment and allocation of resources where it might otherwise not occur.