Committee scales back Clean Sustainable Energy Authority funding to Senate numbers, extends authority and adds water director to board

The House Appropriations Committee amended House language for the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority bill to align funding and dates with the Senate version and to add the director of the Department of Water Resources to the authority’s governing committee.

Representative Bosch, who co-chairs the authority with Senator Patton, summarized the program as a grant and low-interest loan vehicle to help energy projects through final commercialization. House policy committee changes had increased funding authority; committee discussion and research indicated that existing and pending projects likely leave enough remaining capacity at the Senate levels. The committee voted to change the bill’s Section 3 numbers to $15,000,000 in grants and $40,000,000 in loan authority and to extend the line-of-credit date. The roll call recorded adoption of the amendment as 22 yes, 0 no and 1 absent. The committee later voted to give the bill a do-pass as amended; that vote carried 22–0–1.

Members discussed several projects that have sought authority or loan capacity under the program, including battery manufacturing and other energy projects in the state. Representative Bosch noted the importance of water availability for some projects and supported adding the Department of Water Resources director to provide technical input. Representative Murphy asked whether members who had applied for past grants should refrain from voting; the committee chair ruled members could vote and noted competitive grants are handled through application processes.

The amended bill will re-open the grant/loan application cycle and allow the authority to consider projects that had been waiting for funding. The committee’s action restores the Senate’s funding levels and timeline while adjusting membership to include water-resource expertise; Representative Kempenick will carry the bill on the House floor with Representative Bosch as a backup.