[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6339666,"mediaKeyId","2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048","parentId",2260897,"title","Bill would let community renewable grants fund standalone energy-resilience projects","audioSeconds",1915,"startMs",3000,"endMs",1918000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048&start=3&end=1918","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048/thumbnail_3000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6339666/Oregon/Bill-would-let-community-renewable-grants-fund-standalone-energy-resilience-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339666-968f0a2c52f4cec91fddd205522d8472/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557649&Signature=R4V2skBQud1jUxl7BoR43BfBlWQ7kKRAbPq1odFbtdQK~QJMYsbZOv0AbSEtyj7Pr89jmT60L1r82ZPl0ttB592LQkOjvhLFM2rYLLLIMABtwmDKhQRYTbsytAwOx8MxAOSDKrBHdDtxsSPiKkt0NHt4tLglnTZPRMBmhDimljG3Hv4tHfslKgJO353TmcxxXvJquA-OIv~2BoDgNHatb~6hi3NDtIDLuXGx54B~xp8yPq1c25cVKpMjUBSpYClDF6BhPwiO9MOtJjWlhw3uFyiWYBGmsBle522nHmFe4svpXFVVHqG4uPto9QcEgy3eLuRc5UaR2XLJCARS8R3zQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon Legislature","date","2025-02-11T00:00:00Z","article","Chair Lively opened a public hearing on House Bill 2566 on Feb. 11, which would allow the Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program to fund stand‑alone energy resilience projects in addition to renewable‑plus‑resilience projects. The bill would also direct the agency to adopt a list of eligible technologies and measures, and includes proposed amendments to preserve the program’s renewable focus and to set a 20% carve‑out for stand‑alone resilience projects.

Why it matters: proponents say the change gives smaller consumer‑owned utilities and tribal or public bodies a way to fund resilience measures they currently cannot support — and could be used as match for new federal grid‑resilience money. Opponents and some industry advocates warn the program is already oversubscribed and that diverting up to 20% of funds to non‑renewable projects risks reducing funding for renewables‑plus‑resilience work.

Overview and examples
Christy Split, government relations coordinator at the Oregon Department of Energy, told the committee the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program was established to offset planning and construction costs for small community renewable or renewables‑plus‑resilience projects and that the program has received wide interest across the state. \"We think this program has been a great success,\" Split said, describing 195 applications since launch and funded projects in 28 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Split gave examples of projects already funded under the program — municipal microgrid and battery projects in Ashland; a floating solar array and microgrid components for the Roseburg Urban Sanitation Authority; and biomass system upgrades in Burns.

Under HB 2566, the program would add a new pathway for stand‑alone energy resilience projects — measures that do not include on‑site renewable generation but improve the ability of facilities \"essential for the public welfare\" to avoid or shorten outages. Split said battery storage at an essential facility or undergrounding a line supplying a critical building are potential examples. \"This would allow a pathway for resilience only,\" she said, but added that the department would have to complete rulemaking to formalize eligible technologies and measures.

Amendments and program safeguards
Split described several amendments under consideration. The posted \"dash‑1\" amendment would ensure program funds cannot be used to build or repair non‑renewable generation systems (for example, diesel generators). A forthcoming \"dash‑2\" amendment would apply the program’s existing requirement — that 50% of construction projects be in eligible communities (coastal, rural, low‑income and similar designations) — to the new resilience pathway. Split also said the department expects an amendment clarifying the 20% carve‑out language and does not plan to oppose it: \"We intend to spend 20% as long as there's the demand,\" she said.

Supporters and opposition
Representatives of consumer‑owned utilities and rural utilities testified in favor of HB 2566. Jennifer Jolley, director of the Oregon Municipal Electric Utilities Association, said the amendment would give COUs flexibility for resilience projects that lack a renewable energy component and help small utilities pursue federal grants with match requirements they cannot otherwise meet. \"These stand‑alone resilience improvements may not generate as much excitement as a microgrid, but arguably can have more widespread community benefit,\" Jolley said.

The Oregon Solar and Storage Industries Association (OSEA) voiced support for the dash‑1 amendment but urged caution about diverting program funds. Angela Crowley Cook, OSEA executive director, said the program is oversubscribed and that reserving 20% for non‑renewable resilience projects could reduce funding available for renewable projects. \"We would love to see a different fund and keep this one intact because it is oversubscribed,\" she said.

Program funding and federal match issues
Split said the governor’s recommended budget includes $25 million for the program and that the department expects to roll some unspent funds forward, estimating a working budget near $35 million after carryover and the new request. The department also signaled a plan to add staff to manage the expanded pathway. Split and other witnesses pointed to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal grid‑resilience opportunities as potential additional funding sources; smaller COUs commonly face match requirements that the bill’s carve‑out could help satisfy.

Committee discussion
Committee members asked for clarifications about the difference between \"reliability\" and \"resilience,\" the potential effect on renewables funding and interconnection bottlenecks for projects. Jason Knauss, a program staffer with ODOE, said interconnection issues have occurred in both COU and IOU territories but described them as an active operational constraint that can slow project completion. Representative Wallen said the distinction between reliability and resilience mattered to him; Split answered that the program will continue to support both concepts under the new pathway.

Next steps
Chair Lively closed the public hearing on HB 2566 at the end of the committee’s allotted time; the department indicated amendments (dash‑1 and dash‑2) are posted or pending on OLIS for committee consideration and that a fiscal impact statement will be available. No formal committee votes were recorded during the hearing.

Ending: The committee will consider amendments and a fiscal report before any subsequent work session or vote on HB 2566.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment 02/11/2025 (AM)","oneSentenceSummary","Chair Lively opened a Feb. 11 public hearing on House Bill 2566, which would allow the Oregon Department of Energy’s Community Renewable Energy Grant Program to fund stand‑alone energy resilience projects — such as battery storage or undergrounding lines — and direct the agency to define eligible technologies.","taxTitle","Climate, Energy, and Environment, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17502,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6339657,"Bill would exempt some air‑curtain incinerators from DEQ Title V permits to ease rural disposal",0,4575000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048&start=4575&end=4575","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048/thumbnail_4575000.jpg","/articles/6339657/Oregon/Bill-would-exempt-some-aircurtain-incinerators-from-DEQ-Title-V-permits-to-ease-rural-disposal","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339657-b5073058c52d05869bef04d1721781a0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557649&Signature=htcbcohrYAHmZVR5deZeoMx4djrh05gFz7ApE1Ral2KoO-n-TrEvVoUbBx6J3qHeed8gTVyzFVFd-1hDFZUOtab6i~JkbsHtipIlADyu0~YROZLgM9aALBX6gnM-GevgpxZFTAaaMdCFzHvErDNoKpr1kDrvyL8l-Vl36G4WptReANJE~BmliGGFv7ab73xACcMfX2M90aF9tbe6jq2nKLq8Z1RbaGVoQFHFMjwUQpS93OkL8iy4HE8idrpXN1B4Tl9HFmQwlUXku3QaIk6FYE19giFqj0DDNoc94PTqlG9G5PpLn8xPhbC5AgbojbhPCwAAEXXNaJeYNqcgpEYlsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","House Bill 2332 drew testimony on Feb. 11 from operators and industry representatives who said recent federal guidance and rising state permit costs have made it difficult for air‑curtain incinerator operators to continue providing a localized disposal option for wood waste and yard debris.

What the bill would do
HB 2332 would prevent the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from requiring a Title V operating permit for an air‑curtain incinerator that exclusively burns wood waste, clean lumber or yard debris unless federal law or EPA regulations specifically require the Title V designation. Testimony framed the bill as aligning state regulation with a recent EPA action and as a way to preserve an emissions‑controlled disposal method used in rural land‑management and wildfire‑risk reduction activities.

Supporters' case
Ryan Tribbett, with PacWest Lobby Group, and Ryan Ramage, owner of Valley Environmental, testified that Title V classification imposes significant costs and that DEQ can instead issue air contaminants permits for these units. Tribbett said he was offering assistance out of professional friendship to an affected operator and said the bill would prompt DEQ to use existing permitting pathways rather than Title V. Ramage said the industry has faced fee increases and regulatory uncertainty; \"title 5 has been a big issue with our industry,\" he said, and noted a recent 83% DEQ fee increase that has affected operators.

Technical points and legislative questions
Witnesses described how an air‑curtain incinerator operates — a burn box with a forced‑air manifold that increases combustion efficiency and reduces open‑burn smoke — and said byproducts are ash or biochar that can be used as soil amendments. Ramage said there are about six permitted air‑curtain units in the state and that only two remain mobile. Representative Marsh asked whether the bill needs clearer definitional language to distinguish unit sizes or performance standards; witnesses agreed that a definitional clause could be helpful.

Federal context and next steps
Testimony noted a recent EPA ruling that removed air‑curtain burners from Title V classification at the federal level; proponents asked the Legislature to align state practice with that change and to direct DEQ to issue appropriate non‑Title‑V air permits within the bill’s implementation period. The committee heard no opposition during the hearing. Chair Lively closed the public hearing and adjourned the meeting; no committee vote was recorded at that time.

Ending: If advanced, HB 2332 would direct DEQ to adopt a permitting approach consistent with federal guidance while proponents and some legislators asked for clarifying definitions to ensure consistent enforcement and public‑health protections.","House Bill 2332 would prohibit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality from requiring a federal Title V operating permit for air‑curtain incinerators that burn only wood waste, clean lumber or yard debris unless federal law requires it. Supporters, including machine operators and a lobbyist, said the Title V designation and rising permit",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6339662,"Committee hears extensions and changes to Oregon heat‑pump rebate programs after strong uptake",1816,1741000,3557000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048&start=1741&end=3557","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2260897-f0be6f9e9fd6c432c9ba89760d733048/thumbnail_1741000.jpg","/articles/6339662/Oregon/Committee-hears-extensions-and-changes-to-Oregon-heatpump-rebate-programs-after-strong-uptake","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6339662-06590b18bccc1ac5fcba0b3d037a03a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770557649&Signature=lUFagzb637V~czQBwT4BTvbJhW8EG2OneRuwIdJ6a9xe8BYua9PG2wdaQvM5NL9jMV8n6-agX6jwE7FE~i5h5GsiJZ3e4RPH2S24saFey6EzvMFGyXro06deECWjnTDI719rY0d6zHb4Yn-FujIv7bnWmM1~vv2csCsqzHvRMuIkRQrJNZz9QLCPq3XqqV0cWQTzQg8PIfMJeCSa6gDJ4w1aJ3WCIbpZ~10RUxn3qU33dt0GvaZ7BL-Uf7s84L3VXvj-kgbRFdCyEjtkWOdl4edjsrr~6hek8yScaLLxxYQZKyF1hKLkeL4ePqs2fSuNLzS-M6AZ0Q4RNL1lKtvEmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A public hearing on House Bill 2567 on Feb. 11 covered proposed changes to Oregon’s state heat‑pump incentive programs and featured testimony from Oregon Department of Energy staff, program administrators and contractors who have implemented installations statewide.

What the bill would do
House Bill 2567 would make a series of changes to the Community Heat Pump Deployment program (CHIPDIP) and the Oregon Rental Heat Pump Program. Key provisions presented to the committee include:
- Extend the rental program sunset to Jan. 2, 2032, giving more time for tribes and low‑income rental households to access funding.
- Change prioritization language from \"environmental justice communities\" to a broader \"disadvantaged communities\" definition that includes socioeconomic and environmental burdens and rural/coastal communities.
- Remove the statutory 15% cap on administrative and marketing expenses for program administrators and let the Oregon Department of Energy set the cap by rule to better compensate community partners and outreach.
- Require the department to report on the residential heat‑pump rebates to the Legislature in even‑numbered years through 2032 and consider allowing contractor incentives to encourage installations in remote or frontier areas.

Program performance and numbers
Christy Split and Caitlin Lynch of the Oregon Department of Energy summarized program data through the most recent reporting windows. For the Community Heat Pump Deployment program, as of Sept. 30, 2024, the department had obligated more than $7.5 million to program administrators and transferred nearly $1 million to the rental program for tribal members; the community program supported roughly $2.5 million in project costs and more than 287 owner‑occupied homes.

For the Oregon Rental Heat Pump Program, which the department administers directly, Split reported that through January 2025 the program had registered 1,805 contractors, issued more than $11 million in heat‑pump rebates and nearly $2.5 million in upgrade grants, supporting about $26 million in total project costs for roughly 3,000 rental homes.

Administrators and contractors describe demand and benefits
Multiple program administrators and contractors testified in support of HB 2567. Caitlin Lynch said regional administrators design programs to meet local conditions; examples included high‑capacity systems for cold northeastern counties and no‑cost installations in Lake County. Claire Swanback of Community Energy Project and Abbasi Umo, an in‑home auditor, described beneficiaries who previously had no functioning heating system or relied on costly space heaters. \"At least half of the clients that we've served through this program were living with no functioning heating systems before this help was available,\" Swanback said.

Contractors and administrators told the committee the programs are often fully subscribed and that funding quickly runs out when new allocations are made. Molly Hatfield of Earth Advantage said her organization has overseen 249 installations in its region and warned that some regional allocations are already fully spent. \"Allowing its funding to run out would squander the momentum that administrators and installers have worked so hard to create,\" she told the committee.

Technical and policy questions
Committee members asked about performance in very cold climates, backup heat, contractor capacity in rural areas, and stacking of incentives with utilities and Energy Trust of Oregon. Witnesses said technology for cold climates has improved and that program rules allow households to keep or add backup heat sources. Split and administrators noted that incentives are often stacked with utility or Energy Trust programs and that the department is exploring contractor incentives to increase work in frontier counties.

Next steps
The department said the proposal and amendments were developed with the program’s advisory council and regional administrators; the committee closed the public hearing with seven witnesses providing limited testimony in favor of the bill. No committee vote was recorded during the hearing; the department will supply any fiscal details or proposed rule changes for future committee action.

Ending: Program administrators and contractors urged lawmakers to provide additional funding and to adopt the statutory clarifications in HB 2567 so the programs can continue responding to strong statewide demand.","House Bill 2567 would extend and adjust Oregon’s two state heat‑pump programs — the Community Heat Pump Deployment Program and the Oregon Rental Heat Pump Program — after administrators and contractors reported rapid uptake and unmet demand. Testimony detailed program reach, funding allocated to date, and proposed statutory changes to priorit","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill would let community renewable grants fund standalone energy-resilience projects

Bill would exempt some air‑curtain incinerators from DEQ Title V permits to ease rural disposal

Committee hears extensions and changes to Oregon heat‑pump rebate programs after strong uptake