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Appropriations committee restores State Energy Research Center funding to $7.5M and extends sunset
Summary
After debate and an unsuccessful motion to reduce funding, the House Appropriations Committee approved restoring the State Energy Research Center appropriation to $7.5 million per biennium and extended the center’s sunset; the committee then voted to advance the bill as amended.
The House Appropriations Committee on Friday voted to restore funding for the State Energy Research Center to $7.5 million per biennium and approved continuing the center through the adopted sunset date. The panel then advanced the bill with a do‑pass recommendation.
Chairman Porter and witnesses from the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) described the center’s work as early‑stage energy research and innovation that has attracted external funding and produced patentable ideas. "One of their more promising studies was an idea that proposed to reduce flaring in North Dakota, which is currently in the demonstration phase with plans for commercial deployment in the near future," Chairman Porter said.
Representative Nelson moved to reduce the proposed funding from $10 million to $6 million, citing projected impacts to the legislative budget forecast and concerns about current extraction‑tax revenue declines. That motion failed on a roll call (the clerk recorded the motion as failing 5‑14 with four absent). Representative Murphy then moved to restore the funding to $7.5 million and retain the sunset extension; the motion passed (the clerk recorded the vote as "motion carries 17 2 and 4 absent").
After adopting the 7.5 million funding level and the continuing appropriation extension, the committee adopted a do‑pass recommendation on the amended bill; the clerk recorded the final passage by the committee as 19‑0 with four members absent. Testimony to the committee emphasized the center’s role in early‑stage research, a patent portfolio and projects intended to spur private investment and technology scaling in the state’s energy sector.
Committee members discussed overlaps and coordination with other state energy funds, and members asked EERC staff to provide examples of funded projects that moved to demonstration or attracted outside funding. Tyler Hammond of EERC told the committee the center had funded roughly 60 proposals with varying sizes and that some concepts — including flaring mitigation and novel proppant research — had moved to demonstration and were attracting additional funding.
With the committee vote, the amended bill moves forward with a restored 7.5 million appropriation and an extended statutory sunset for the State Energy Research Center.
