On Monday, Sept. 16, Congressman John Curtis and USU Eastern hosted the annual Eastern Utah Economic Summit on USU Eastern’s campus. Congressman Curtis took the time to say a few remarks before awarding the Business of the Year award. Curtis encouraged community leaders to look at the opportunities available in their area and to help others capture that vision.

The conference has taken a dramatic shift over the past few years. For example, at the 2021 summit there was a lot of discussion about diversifying into tourism. Past breakout sessions included discussions on “Main Street USA” and “Beyond the Mighty 5”. At earlier conferences there was little mention of continuation of the energy and mining sector. This year, guests were encouraged to attend topics pertaining to infrastructure, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and energy.

Some of the sessions that focused on energy included, Energy: From the Coal Seam to the Socket; Repurposing Energy Assets in Utah’s Coal Country; The Evolution of Rail and Workforce Development in Utah; Nuclear: Who, What, Why; and Managing a Boom for a Small Community: How the City of Kemmerer Wyoming is preparing workforce, housing and growth for the coming TerraPower Natrium Nuclear Plant.

Presenters included Professors Andrew Fry and Matt Memmott who are involved in research concerning coal combustion and nuclear plants; Andrew Worrall, Laura Nelson and Emily Nichols from the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear; Brian Somers, President of the Utah Mining Association; Mike Squires, with Utah Associated Municipal Systems; and Carson Pollastro, CEO of Wolverine Fuels.