Office of Energy requests $24.5M federal for home energy rebates and $311K general fund for new Speed Council

The Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources (OEMR) presented a package to JFAC that would expand federal-funded home‑energy rebate activity and create a small, governor‑backed Speed Council to coordinate permitting and project tracking for large infrastructure projects.

Analyst Kellen McGurkin summarized the office’s funding history and federal grant activity, including a $15,000,000 one‑time state transfer in FY2022 for the state match portion of the energy resiliency grant program (POREG). McGurkin said OEMR’s federal appropriations have grown as the agency administers federal grants, and he described four dedicated funds including the Renewable Energy Resources Fund.

Home Energy Rebates: OEMR requested an ongoing federal appropriation of $24,500,000 to administer the federal Home Energy Rebates program established by the Inflation Reduction Act. McGurkin and Administrator Richard Stover explained the request’s components: $20,000,000 for rebates (trustee and benefit payments), $4,000,000 for administrative/contracting costs (procurement and a third‑party implementer for software and eligibility verification), and $502,000 for limited‑service personnel (four FTPs through 2031). McGurkin and Stover noted federal rules allow up to 20% of funds for administration; OEMR said it will solicit bidders for a third‑party implementer and intends to put as much funding as possible into rebates.

Speed Council (governor initiative): The governor’s recommended package includes $311,000 ongoing from the general fund to establish a Speed Council (per Executive Order 2025‑02 as presented), led by OEMR, to coordinate permitting, increase transparency, and develop a public dashboard for timelines on large critical infrastructure and energy projects. The request would fund staff time, administrative support, initial dashboard development and contracted services.

Committee questions and agency responses - Senator Cook and others asked why the Home Energy Rebates request allocates 20% to administration; Stover and analysts said the federal program allows up to 20% administrative spending and OEMR plans to competitively procure a third‑party implementer for software and eligibility verification. - On staffing, OEMR said the four new FTPs are limited‑service positions to be funded by the federal appropriation and are expected to end when the federal program ends in 2031. - Multiple members asked about how the Speed Council would differ from prior coordination efforts; Stover described the council as a focused, cross‑agency mechanism to increase predictability, reduce redundancies and improve meaningful local engagement for large projects.

Provenance: Analyst presentation by Kellen McGurkin and testimony by OEMR Administrator Richard Stover and staff; funding requests remain subject to JFAC and full legislative approval.