Energy, Integrity, and the Future of Our Valley

An Invitation

Jun 03, 2025

I care deeply about this place we get to call home, Cache Valley.

Not just as a scientist or civic advisor—but as a neighbor, a parent, and someone who’s spent years working to support our community, always hoping that we could do better, together. I resigned my position as Vice-Chair of Logan’s Renewable Energy and Sustainability Advisory Board (RESAB) in April, not because I don’t believe in the mission of the board, but because it became clear to me that a different approach is needed to foster the hard conversations we need to have as a community.

Mayor Daines and City Council recently locked Logan into a $400M long-term energy contract, with no offramps for nearly 30 years, over the substantial objections of the board the city established to advise on such matters. They didn’t disagree with RESAB’s recommendations regarding the risks involved, they simply declined to meaningfully engage the advisory board’s assessment. That’s not just unfortunate—it’s costly.

I believe it is also important to acknowledge that Mayor Daines and City Council members work hard and have done meaningful things for our community. Their service matters. But good intentions and past contributions do not cancel out the impacts of harmful decisions. Good governance isn’t a ledger where ‘good deeds’ balance out long-term risks—it’s a practice of ongoing responsibility, transparency, and care.

My goals with this three-part editorial series are to reflect on what went wrong, discuss the implications, outline what a healthy process would have looked like, and do my part to show our elected officials that they will be held accountable for their decisions, even after the vote. This three-part series is not written out of spite, despair, or ideology. It’s written because I still believe Logan can, and must, do better. And because this recent decision deserves deeper scrutiny than it received. That vote is behind us. But the future it sets into motion is still taking shape. I invite you to join the conversation.

I acknowledge that these pieces are long. I’ve chosen depth over convenience because it is a complex issue and the impacts will reverberate for decades. I’m not here to win a quick argument—I’m here to invite a longer, more honest conversation. I also acknowledge that some terms in these pieces—like ‘fossil fuels’ and ‘climate change’—may feel loaded or off-putting to some. My aim isn’t to provoke, but to speak plainly about what’s unfolding around us. I use the most accurate language I can—not to stake out a political position, but to describe realities we’re all entangled with. I ask, with humility, that you look past any shortcomings in my phrasing and listen for the broader message: an invitation to engage deeply with the challenges we face and choices that shape our shared future.

You will find facts in these pages—economic forecasts, ecological data, documentation of deceptive behavior by city employees. But I hope you’ll also see two broader invitations beneath the facts: 1. To engage deeply and thoughtfully in the matters of our government, and 2. To see yourself as not just as a voter or ratepayer, a homeowner or renter, but as a co-steward of this valley, of our economy, of our quality of life.

We can choose a different path—not just in policy, but in how we show up, how we make decisions, and how we take care of each other. Whatever your views on energy, I invite you to reflect: What do you want Cache Valley to be like in 30 years?”

Responses and comments on these pieces are encouraged. We only get to a better place in our democracy by having conversations as a community.

Let’s begin.

Part 1: Logan’s New Fossil Fuel Power Plants Present Big Financial Risks

When a city commits nearly $400 million to build and operate two power plants for the next 30 years, it isn’t just buying electricity—it’s making a generational bet. That’s exactly what Mayor Daines and Logan’s City Council recently did when they approved the purchase of 30 megawatts of power from a proposed fossil fuel plant in southwestern Utah and 15 megawatts from another in Idaho. Both contracts lock Logan into outdated energy sources until ~2050, with no contractual exit, no meaningful public review, and no consideration for those who will be negatively impacted.

The decisions were made. But our public reckoning is just beginning.

In a time of economic uncertainty, accelerating innovation in clean energy, and rapidly escalating climate instability, these decisions carry massive—and deeply underexamined—consequences. Cities all across the US and the world are already benefitting from transitioning to fully renewable, locally managed, and resilient energy portfolios. By contrast, Logan has now committed hundreds of millions of dollars to projects that outsource control, increase risk, and eliminate flexibility just when we need it most.

A Legacy of Risk, Not Resilience

City leaders justified their approval in the name of “reliability,” “ratepayer protection,” and “future growth.” But in truth, Logan has now entered into one of the least flexible, most economically risky commitments in the city’s history.

One council member argued that rates had to be kept low. On that we can agree. But fossil fuels aren’t the answer—to the contrary, fossil fuel prices are volatile, increasingly costly, and represent a long-term gamble against clean energy innovation. Coal prices increased nearly 30% from 2020-2023. Fossil gas prices will go up too.

A 2024 U.S. Department of Energy report forecasts that expanding U.S. gas exports will drive up domestic gas prices. In a low-end scenario, U.S. gas prices are projected to be 30-60% higher in 2050 than today, adjusting for inflation. That doesn’t account for global price shocks, carbon pricing, lawsuits, or penalties for methane emissions. These factors are already at play and will be increasingly prevalent over the next three decades. So-called ‘futures contracts’—contracts that allow cities to pay for gas months in advance—can help hedge short-term volatility—but they can’t shield Logan from decades of structural price increases and policy risk.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure needed to deliver gas is aging. A recent national analysis estimates it will cost $1.4 to $2 trillion to replace deteriorating pipelines.

Another council member argued that Logan will need all the power it can get, to fuel continued growth. It may be true that Logan will grow in coming decades. But it is precisely because growth is coming that our decisions must be responsible. Growth without foresight is a recipe for disaster. It’s up to us to ensure growth is guided by stewardship, innovation, and community values.

Of course, the best way to save on electricity costs is to use less. But Logan chose not to conduct an avoided cost study—a study that determines the savings that could be achieved by reducing energy demand or implementing other solutions.

The arguments against fossil fuels aren’t just market speculation. Once considered a ‘bridge fuel,’ natural gas is now being reconsidered—by financial institutions, insurance companies, and economists—as a costly detour rather than a long-term solution. Logan just bought a bridge to nowhere, and it may be on fire before we even finish building it.

Operational Hazards: Who Holds the Power?

Beyond price, Logan has now embedded itself in a long-distance, high-liability power scheme that offers no local control over delivery. Electricity from these plants must travel hundreds of miles to reach us—through transmission lines we do not own and will not manage. Yet, we will still be on the hook when they need to be upgraded, maintained, or start a multi-billion dollar wildfire.

Gas-fired power plants are only as reliable as their fuel supply and mechanical systems. And both are increasingly vulnerable.

In February 2021, during the Texas winter storm, more than half of the failed capacity came from natural gas plants.
Also in 2021, the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack revealed how easily centralized fuel systems can be disrupted.
In 2022, cold snaps in the Eastern U.S. stressed gas infrastructure and triggered rolling outages.

These plants also rely on a steady stream of parts from overseas, which may be costly or simply not be available in cases of increasingly common supply chain disruptions.

City council was made aware of these and other operational risks, but chose not to address them.

No Exit, No Flexibility

These two gas plants aren’t even expected to come online until 2029 and 2031, but as soon as the contracts were signed, they committed Logan to nearly 30 years of financial obligations. What happens when costs increase beyond projections? What happens when cheaper and cleaner technologies become dominant by 2035, or sooner? Under current agreements, we’ll still be stuck paying for fossil gas through 2050.

In financial terms, this is the definition of stranded asset risk—investing in infrastructure that cannot deliver a return because the world around it has changed. It’s not just a climate concern. It’s a market foresight failure. And it’s a mountain of risk that Logan has now willingly, if unwittingly, assumed.

Another consequence of this decision is what we locked ourselves out of. The clean energy transition isn’t just coming. It’s here. In the past decade:

Utility-scale solar prices have dropped over 80%.
Grid-scale battery storage costs have dropped over 90%.
Revolutionary advancements in geothermal are being put into practice in Utah right now—with projected baseload delivery costs below gas.

Renewables will keep getting cheaper and more efficient. It’s no wonder fossil fuel interests are using surprise tactics to lock customers into long-term contracts with no offramps. It’s just unfortunate that our city leadership fell for it.

Missed Economic Opportunities

Every dollar exported to distant fossil fuel power plants is a dollar not invested in Cache Valley. That money leaves our economy instead of supporting local solar installers, local farmers hosting solar on less productive land, local battery companies, technicians, and electricians.

Investing in local renewables keeps money circulating in our economy. It creates jobs, reduces transmission losses, and fosters resilience. Yet Mayor Daines and City Council chose to send hundreds of millions out of the Valley.

That’s not economic development. It’s a self-inflicted wound.

What Comes Next

The contracts may be signed. But the future isn’t written yet. We still have choices—about how we invest, how we lead, and how we grow.

In Part 2, we’ll confront the myth of fossil gas as a clean “bridge fuel” and explore the devastating, human-scale consequences of climate disruption.

And in Part 3, we’ll outline what Logan can still do to lead. Because if this community is going to grow, we owe it to each other—and to future generations—to do it with integrity, courage, and care.

Patrick Belmont

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