Summit County Council Member Roger Armstrong and Salt Lake City Senior Energy and Climate Program Manager Glade Sowards will present at the Utah Renewable Communities summit on March 19 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 321. The presentation, titled Utah Renewable Communities: Bringing Clean Energy Options to Utah's Cities, Towns, and Counties, will focus on renewable energy efforts across the state.
Summit County Sustainability Efforts
Roger Armstrong, who has served on the Summit County Council since 2013, will discuss sustainability efforts and renewable energy measures. During his tenure, Armstrong has worked with colleagues on various initiatives to benefit Summit County residents, including the creation of the Elektron Solar Project in Tooele County. This project was a collaborative effort involving Summit County, Salt Lake City, Park City, Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort, and Utah Valley University. The partnership enabled Summit County operations to meet a goal of obtaining 100% renewable energy resources for County facilities.
Legislative and Conservation Work
Armstrong also serves on the Program Design committee for Utah Renewable Communities, a coalition composed of 19 cities and counties. This group is working toward providing 100% renewable energy resources for its residents. Beyond energy, Armstrong has collaborated on the protection of thousands of acres of open space intended to safeguard wildlife habitat and water sources. His legislative work includes facilitating solar panel bulk purchase initiatives to make rooftop solar more affordable for residents, approving policies to transition the Summit County fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles, and supporting initiatives to mitigate wildfire risk.
Statewide Climate Policy and Grants
Glade Sowards, the Senior Energy and Climate Program Manager for the Salt Lake City Sustainability Department, will also speak at the March 19 event. Sowards serves as the lead staffer for Utah Renewable Communities, the same 19-community coalition focused on providing renewable energy customer choice options for residents and businesses. His expertise in climate policy includes a previous role as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Utah Division of Air Quality (UDAQ). While at the UDAQ, Sowards led the Beehive Emission Reduction Plan initiative, which received a competitive grant for nearly $75 million in Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funding in 2024.
Professional Background and Expertise
Sowards' professional background includes nearly 20 years at the Utah Division of Air Quality, where he worked on multiple statewide climate planning efforts. His previous roles include serving as the lead staffer for Utah’s Western Climate Initiative delegation and acting as the Clean Power Plan coordinator. He also previously led the Technical Analysis Section at the Utah Office of Energy and Resource Planning. Sowards holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Environmental Studies from Grinnell College and a Master of Science in Forestry from Michigan Technological University.
Armstrong Professional Career
In addition to his public service, Armstrong maintains a career as an entertainment attorney. He provides transactional representation within the motion picture and television industries and has worked in the movie industry for 45 years. His legal practice includes representing motion picture and television producers, animation companies, film and television production companies, actors, on-camera hosts, screenwriters, directors, and book authors. Prior to his legal career, Armstrong formulated and implemented publicity campaigns for over one hundred motion pictures, including films such as JFK, Field of Dreams, Back to the Future Parts II and III, Do the Right Thing, Tremors, Hook, Basic Instinct, Sea of Love, Gorillas in the Mist, Bugsy, Parenthood, Backdraft, and Blue Velvet.
Summit Overview
The summit presentation scheduled for March 19 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 321 will highlight the collaborative nature of Utah's transition to clean energy. Both Armstrong and Sowards represent different facets of the state's approach to sustainability, from local council governance and infrastructure projects to state-level climate planning and grant management.
Coalition Context
The Utah Renewable Communities coalition remains a central focus for both speakers, representing a coordinated effort by 19 different Utah municipalities and counties to expand renewable energy access and choice for their populations.
