Committee advances amended S.65 after split votes on energy-efficiency and reporting provisions

A legislative committee on Natural Resources & Energy advanced S.65, draft 6.1, voting separately on the bill’s energy-efficiency provision (section 1) and on sections 2 through 7 before recommending S.65 as amended to the floor.

The draft replaces several references to the Public Utility Commission with the Department (identified in the transcript as the Department and later referenced as the Department of Public Service), requires covered entities to register by June 30, requires the Department to share registration information for greenhouse-gas inventory updates, and directs the Department of Public Service to report by Jan. 15, 2026, on approaches to collecting data on heating fuel deliveries and on-site heating fuel use.

Why it matters: the changes reassign administrative responsibilities for registration and data-sharing and create a timetable for a staff report about fuel-delivery and heating fuel data collection. Those data and registration processes feed the statewide greenhouse-gas inventory and shape how regulators and agencies collect emissions-related information.

Key amendments and requirements - Agency references: Draft 6.1 substitutes references to the Public Utility Commission with the Department in multiple places beginning on page 19 (section 3) and continuing through page 20 (subsections B, C) and subsection G. The draft text in the transcript indicates the Department is responsible for registration and related duties previously assigned to the commission. - Registration and data sharing: Covered entities are to register by June 30 (registration year not specified in the transcript). Within not more than 30 days following the annual registration deadline, the Department shall share complete registration information with “A and R” for updating the greenhouse-gas inventory; the transcript notes the prior draft also included the Department in that data transfer and committee members discussed whether other entities should also receive data. - Reporting requirement: The Department of Public Service must, after consultation, report on or before Jan. 15, 2026, “on the best way to collect data on heating fuel deliveries and heating fuel use on a time-by-time basis,” according to the draft language read into the record. - Effective dates: The draft includes an effective date of Jan. 1, 2027 for specified sections (the transcript references sections 3 and another section but does not fully specify all affected sections).

Votes and formal actions - Section 1 (energy-efficiency provision): The committee voted on section 1 separately. Recorded votes in the transcript: Senator Babbitt — No; Senator Balmert — Yes; Senator Hardy — Yes; Senator Williams — No; Senator Watson — Yes. Outcome: approved (tally from named recorded votes: yes 3, no 2). The transcript does not list additional members or a complete roll-call beyond those names. - Sections 2–7 (remaining provisions including registration and reporting): The committee voted on sections 2 through 7 together. Recorded votes in the transcript: Senator Beck — Yes; Senator Baumgart — Yes; Senator Hardy — Yes; Senator Williams — Yes; Senator Watson — Yes. Outcome: approved (tally from named recorded votes: yes 5, no 0). The transcript does not show whether other members participated in that roll call beyond the names recorded. - Final motion — S.65 as amended, recommended to the floor: The committee moved to recommend S.65, as amended, to the floor. The transcript records affirmative votes including Senator Beck, Senator Longhurst and Senator Harvey, and Senator Watson; the transcript indicates the motion was recommended to the floor, but a complete, unambiguous roll-call tally for the final recommendation is not specified in the transcript.

Discussion highlights and limits of record Committee members reviewed the redline in draft 6.1 and noted the locations of changes (page 19 and page 20 onward). A staff member identified specific language changes (for example, moving duties from the Public Utility Commission to the Department). Committee members discussed which outside recipients should receive registration data for greenhouse-gas inventory updates and whether the Department should be included alongside “A and R.”

The transcript records procedural discussion about dividing the vote (section 1 first, then sections 2–7), and members proceeded with the split vote. The record contains no substantive floor debate in the transcript about policy merits (for example, no extended statements describing the rationale for replacing the commission with the Department, no budgetary cost estimates, and no external stakeholder testimony). Several procedural clarifications appear in the record (public vs. internal draft numbering, internal staff notes about highlighting and page references), but the transcript does not provide text of the bill beyond the summarized edits described above.

What the transcript does not show - The draft’s full text, as amended, is not printed in the transcript; precise statutory citations, full subsection language, and cross-references are not included in the record provided. - Any fiscal notes, estimated costs, or implementation plans beyond the reporting requirement are not in the transcript. - The transcript does not specify whether the abbreviation “A and R” denotes a particular agency (the committee discussed adding or omitting recipients). The committee did identify the Department of Public Service as the reporting agency for the Jan. 15, 2026 report.

Next steps The committee recommended S.65, as amended, to the full floor for further consideration. The Department of Public Service is slated to prepare the report due Jan. 15, 2026, per the draft language in this session. Further legislative action (floor debate, amendments, or enactment) is not recorded in this transcript.