Office of Energy and Mineral Resources seeks federal appropriations for home-energy rebates, proposes Speed Council to streamline permitting

Kellen McGurkin, budget and policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, and Richard Stover, administrator of the Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources, briefed JFAC on multiple agency topics including federal grant administration, the Home Energy Rebate program and a proposed Speed Council to streamline permitting for large projects.

McGurkin told the committee that OEMR’s appropriations have increased in recent years largely because the office administers federal grant programs that require state match and project oversight. He summarized a prior $15 million general fund transfer the office received as a state match for energy resiliency grant programs and described ongoing federal awards for POREG grants that support grid resilience projects. McGurkin said the agency’s FY2026 request includes an ongoing federal fund appropriation of $24.5 million for the Home Energy Rebates program authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022; that request would allocate $20 million for rebates (trustee and benefit payments), $4 million for administrative costs to procure a third-party implementer and $502,000 for limited-service personnel (four limited‑term FTPs).

“Of that total, 20,000,000 is trustee and benefit payments to provide rebates. Four million is in operational cost for contracting with a third party implementer for software distribution and project eligibility verification requirements,” McGurkin said. He noted the federal program permits up to 20% of funds for administrative costs and that the agency expects to request procurement bids for an implementer.

Administrator Richard Stover told lawmakers the Speed Council initiative (outlined by executive order) would bring multiple agencies together to streamline permitting, increase transparency and develop a public dashboard tracking project timelines. Stover framed the council as a mechanism to reduce duplicative reviews and provide more predictable permitting for large-scale investments: “The primary tenants of the council are number 1, transparency. Number 2, accountability and predictability. And number 3, recognition or identification and recommendations for permitting reformations,” he said.

Senators questioned the 20% administrative cap for the Home Energy Rebates program; McGurkin and Stover said federal rules allow that level and that not all the 20% necessarily will be drawn. Senators also asked about staffing after grant expiration; the analysts said the four new FTPs would be limited‑service positions tied to the grant period and would be removed when funds are exhausted.

Stover described projected energy demand growth and the need for new generation and transmission: he told the committee Idaho’s energy needs could rise 30–50% over the next 10–20 years and the Northwest may need to add thousands of megawatts to meet regional demand. He said OEMR is also pursuing study and coordination work on advanced nuclear and other generation options through the Idaho Strategic Energy Alliance and INL partnerships.

No formal appropriation vote was recorded in the transcript during the presentation; lawmakers asked for follow-up details on program design, administration caps, and contract unwind options should federal funding be rescinded or reduced.