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Energy Authority urges review of energy matching funds as appropriations near depletion
Summary
The Wyoming Energy Authority briefed the committee on energy matching funds and advised the interim committee to examine the funds’ structure, history of projects, and whether to transfer the program into an agency budget rather than repeated section 300 appropriations.
Rob Krieger, executive director of the Wyoming Energy Authority, asked the Joint Minerals Committee to do a “deep dive” into the energy matching funds and the matching-fund structure that the Authority administers. Krieger said the funds have supported multiple projects over the last three years, and he noted the program currently operates under section 3.21 of the budget and, if continued, would require reauthorization or placement in an agency budget ahead of the next biennial budget cycle.
Krieger told the committee the first matching fund appropriation had totaled as much as $155 million over time and that those dollars would likely be exhausted by the time the legislature next convenes. He said other states, including Texas and North Dakota, have created similar grant programs and that increased competition from other states makes review timely.
Senator Rothfuss asked whether the program should be built into statute rather than carried in the budget; Krieger recommended embedding the program into an agency budget if the state wants a long-term program. The committee did not adopt legislation at the hearing but signaled interest in reviewing the fund’s history, projects, and statutory options ahead of next year’s budget cycle.
