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Lawmaker backs Murkowski-Wyden approach to waterpower technology testing
Summary
The speaker described a Murkowski-Wyden bill to support a D.O.T. Water Power Technologies Office and urged a technology-neutral approach to reward private-sector innovation in waterpower, citing the committee's work on clean energy tax credits and University of Oregon test programs.
A lawmaker said the nation should reward private-sector innovation in waterpower technology and described a Murkowski-Wyden bill to support a Department of Transportation Water Power Technologies Office that would take a technology-neutral approach similar to recent clean energy tax credits.
"They basically bring a technology neutral approach to the energy field," the lawmaker said, linking the proposed office to the committee's earlier work on clean energy tax credits. The speaker said the measure seeks to encourage testing and commercialization of promising technologies rather than pick specific winners.
The lawmaker singled out a University of Oregon program that tests technologies derived from ocean waves as an example of private-sector and university collaboration on experimental systems. "I want to give a special thank to the University of Oregon program that allows them to test technologies generated from ocean waves," the speaker said.
The proposal was presented as complementary to prior committee work on tax incentives; the speaker said the approach would reward private investment and innovation in waterpower technologies. No legislative text, budget figures, or specific timelines were provided in the remarks.
The lawmaker said he looked forward to pursuing the bills with colleagues and noted Senator Murkowski and Senator Padilla as involved or interested parties, indicating potential bipartisan collaboration moving forward.
