Conference committee makes SIF expansion contingent on pipeline by Dec. 31, 2026, and zeros out Clean Sustainable Energy funding for this biennium

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…