Natural Resources Research Institute details state special funding, industrial partnerships and federal grant prospects

Ralph Reeburg (transcribed as Ralph Wieberg in testimony), executive director of the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), told the committee that NRRI’s recurring state special appropriation of $4,400,000 provides foundational support for staff, cross‑institute training, rapid response capability, and equipment maintenance and replacement. He said the institute uses state funds to recruit and retain technical personnel, seed internal research, provide match for federal grants, and keep high‑cost pilot plants and scale‑up capabilities operational (‘‘grams to tons’’ capacity).

Reeburg described a 2023 nonrecurring appropriation ($2,000,000) used for facility upgrades and noted the institute’s annual budget has grown from roughly $14,000,000 to more than $30,000,000 in recent years as NRRI has attracted larger projects and federal partnerships. He said NRRI has secured a $3.1 million contract with the Department of Energy and is pursuing roughly $18 million in DOE‑related funding tied to green iron, hydrogen and decarbonization work. Reeburg said NRRI offers pilot‑scale and commercialization services that are critical for industry partners, highlighted an engineered bio‑carbon technology and a fast‑growing “over tree” variety useful for carbon sequestration and phytoremediation, and described an Atlas mapping tool for forest and resource planning.

Reeburg told the committee NRRI is currently short of capacity to respond at the scale national labs may request and that additional recurring and one‑time resources would be needed to meet those federal partner expectations. He said NRRI had slowed hiring in some areas because of funding uncertainty but continues to fill critical positions.