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DEEP outlines heat‑pump funding options, resilience grants and Clean Water priorities
Summary
DEEP officials told the subcommittee an existing authorization could fund both air‑source and ground‑source heat pumps, and described resilience grant rounds, microgrid and dam repair priorities while warning that federal funding changes have delayed or defunded some projects.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection gave a broad overview of capital programs and how proposed bond authorizations would be used to implement heat‑pump adoption, resilience and water infrastructure work.
DEEP officials told members the heat‑pump authorization is broad enough to support both air‑source and ground‑source (geothermal) systems and could be applied to thermal energy networks if the agency and the committee elect to fund a study and program development. "The authorization was really broad, but it's our understanding that it could be used for both air source and ground source heat pumps," a DEEP bureau chief said, and noted the agency is framing a study to determine geothermal network feasibility.
The agency also highlighted the Clean Water Fund's role in repairing aging municipal sewer systems and flood‑prone infrastructure, and said the fund helps match federal dollars for critical projects. Graham Stevens, bureau chief for water protection and land reuse, explained that the fund is the state's largest capital program and that available authorizations will keep many critical projects moving; he described prioritization criteria for scoring municipal requests.
On resilience, DEEP outlined a three‑bucket approach in its Climate Resilience Fund: (1) technical assistance and planning, (2) design grants to get projects shovel‑ready, and (3) match funding for construction. DEEP officials said the program is intended to funnel towns into the most appropriate capital program and to streamline permitting and project delivery.
Several legislators raised concerns about privately owned dams, federal funding shifts that have delayed projects, and the need to ensure bond language allows flexible uses to fill gaps created when federal dollars do not materialize. DEEP said it is working with the Green Bank and other partners to leverage state dollars and private financing to stretch bond dollars further.
The subcommittee did not vote on any authorizations during the hearing.
