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Senate Natural Resources committee approves CPACE bill and regional planning revisions
Summary
The Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on March 13 approved draft updates to the CPACE program (S138) and a companion regional planning bill (S325), advancing both to next steps after roll‑call votes and brief debate on implementation timing and mapping rules.
The Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee on March 13 approved two bills: draft 5.3 of S138, which refines commercial property assessed clean energy (CPACE) program administration, and draft 6.1 of S325, which makes broad changes to regional planning, designation and mapping statutes. Both measures passed after committee debate and roll‑call voting.
Committee members debated both measures’ technical language and effective‑date timing but moved both bills forward. The clerk recorded affirmative votes on draft 5.3 of S138 and later on draft 6.1 of S325; individual yes votes noted in the record included Senators Beck, Bombers, Hardy, Williams and Watson among others called during the roll.
S138 changes clarified program administration and the role of program administrators; the revised text requires the Department of Financial Regulation to consult stakeholders including the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont Economic Development Authority when identifying program administrators. The bill also removes redundant fee‑authority language and clarifies that municipalities may contract with administrators.
S325 was the committee’s broader focus and drew extended discussion on mapping, designation steps, and rulemaking deadlines (see separate coverage). Committee members pressed staff for consistent cross‑references in the bill and for precise language around when mapped areas trigger road‑jurisdiction rules and housing exemptions. Alex Farrell, Commissioner, Department of Housing and Community Development, asked for clarity on whether drafting should refer specifically to land‑use areas or to the larger set of eligibility criteria.
The committee also voted on motions to approve the drafts in the versions posted for the meeting and recorded the clerk’s roll calls. Following those approvals, the committee took a break and subsequently tabled S224 (a separate bill on wake boats and aquatic invasive species) because of outstanding rule‑conflict concerns raised by Secretary Moore.
The approvals send S138 and S325 to the next legislative steps; the bills will receive further committee and floor consideration and may be amended in the House. The committee’s minutes note that additional cross‑referencing and some contested provisions (notably timing for road jurisdiction and certain designation benefits) will be flagged for House review.
