By JAMES BROOKS
Alaska Beacon
A program that has distributed almost $300 million to renewable energy projects in Alaska since 2008 would be made permanent under legislation that passed the state Senate without dissent on Friday.
House Bill 62, as passed by the Senate on an 18-0 vote, would remove the expiration date for the state’s renewable energy grant fund. That fund, operated by the Alaska Energy Authority, pays for preliminary work on renewable energy projects across the state, mostly in rural Alaska.
The fund is stocked with money occasionally appropriated by the Legislature, which created it in 2008 with an initial $50 million.
Last year, lawmakers added $15 million to the fund, the largest deposit since 2013. That was enough to cover the grants requested by 27 projects spread across the state. Projects are selected annually on a competitive basis by a board selected by legislators and the governor.
Sen. James Kaufman, R-Anchorage, promoted the bill on the Senate floor and said its passage “ensures a successful program will continue.”
The House passed HB 62 on March 20 by a 35-1 vote, with Rep. David Eastman, R-Wasilla, the lone dissenter. That version of the bill would extend the fund for 10 years.
The Senate’s changes mean the new version of the bill will return to the House for ratification or rejection. If approved by the House, it must receive the assent of Gov. Mike Dunleavy before becoming law.
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