A conference committee voted to adopt changes to version 2,009 of a bill that would make a proposed increase in guarantees from the state’s SIF contingent on a pipeline being built by Dec. 31, 2026, and to remove Clean Sustainable Energy Authority funding for the current biennium.

The change approved by the committee says that if “an entity” has not come forward to build a pipeline by Dec. 31, 2026, the law would revert to the $60,000,000 figure now reflected in current statute rather than the $100,000,000 shown in the expanded proposal. Committee members also agreed to language using a contingent effective date so the law would show $60,000,000 unless the pipeline condition is satisfied, and to delay the additional $40,000,000 guarantee’s effective date until July 1, 2027, so the extra funds would not be available to guarantee a line until then.

The committee also voted to remove a previously proposed $5,000,000 appropriation for the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority for this biennium — effectively setting that line to zero for the period covered by the bill.

Why it matters: The committee’s changes tie the proposed expansion of state guarantees to concrete project progress, limit the immediate availability of an additional $40,000,000 guarantee, and suspend near-term funding for the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority. That combination affects how much loan guarantee capacity the state will be committed to and when those guarantees could be used.

During discussion, Representative Bosch said the committee should agree on the bill’s language before moving dollars: “I’d really like to focus first on the language because I think that’s important first before we decide about moving the dollars,” Bosch said. A staff member identified as Adam proposed using contingent effective dates so the statute would show $60,000,000 unless the pipeline condition is met and said the additional $40,000,000 would not be available until 2027 if the committee adopted the delay.

Senator Beckettall asked that the pipeline transmission authority provide updates on capacity and costs if the expansion moves forward, saying, “If it’s not, you know, if they’re not using all the capacity, shouldn’t we get a report about that?” Committee members noted that statutory reporting already exists and that the committee could pursue additional reporting requirements in future legislation if they were dissatisfied with current reports. A different committee member said it would be reasonable to expect at least interim updates to the budget section about commitments from other providers and the amount committed of the $60,000,000 or $100,000,000.

Representative Bosch moved the changes to version 2,009 and Senator Svobog seconded. The clerk’s roll call recorded affirmative votes from the chair and committee members present; the motion passed. The chair said the two chairs on each side would sign off on the final language and, if there were objections, the committee would reconvene.

The committee’s action combines three related decisions: (1) conditioning the $40,000,000 increase on a pipeline being proposed and built by Dec. 31, 2026; (2) using contingent effective dates so the statute would reflect $60,000,000 unless the condition is met and, if met, would reflect $100,000,000; and (3) removing a $5,000,000 appropriation to the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority for this biennium. The committee also discussed, but did not specify in the adopted language, whether reporting from the pipeline authority should be one-time or ongoing.

The vote closes the committee’s work on the draft they labeled version 2,009; committee members asked that the chairs representing each side review and sign the final bill language before submitting it further.

Notes on attribution and scope: The article reports committee action and directly attributes statements only to speakers identified in the meeting transcript and to the committee’s formal roll call. It does not ascribe intentions beyond what speakers stated or interpret how external parties will respond.