University of Utah researchers brief Price City on carbon capture and seek local input

University of Utah researchers presented an overview of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) and asked for local interviews to inform how any future projects should be designed to benefit Price-area residents.

Kate McGargle, an anthropologist at the University of Utah, said the research is federally funded and aims to combine geological mapping with social-science interviews. "Carbon capture, utilization, and storage is...a concept where carbon is captured, made, like captured in such a way so that it is no longer sort of emitted into the atmosphere," she said, describing both point-source capture at industrial sites and underground geologic storage.

Laszlo Sadua, a sociologist working with the Utah Geological Survey on the project, described the team’s public-facing goal: to avoid situations where drilling or injection occurs without local awareness and to gather residents’ views about whether they would support wells in their neighborhoods. "Part of the idea is to have conversations with communities about that," he said, and he asked council members and attendees to consider volunteering for in-depth interviews or follow-up conversations.

Researchers said mapping work is nearly complete and will be made publicly available on the Utah Geological Survey website; the social component will use interviews to surface community concerns, possible benefits, and desired protections. They repeatedly emphasized that the project is not an advocacy campaign for or against CCUS but an effort to document local attitudes and potential community benefits.

Council members asked technical and practical questions about likely drilling density, reuse of existing wells, capture locations relative to plant scrubbers and transport options including pipelines or truck transport. The researchers said many feasible storage sites may coincide with existing well fields and that specific infrastructure plans (pipelines, trucking, or on-site capture) have not been designed yet.

The researchers left contact information and a sign-up sheet for residents and officials interested in interviews and further discussion. "Our goal is to solicit your input," Sadua said, asking people to contact the team by phone or email or to speak with them after the council meeting.

Next steps: the research team will publish maps via the Utah Geological Survey and reach out to schedule interviews; the city did not take formal action at the workshop.