§ 71-7-6 — Clean energy grants program

A. The secretary shall establish the clean energy grants program to provide clean energy grants to: (1) municipalities and county governments; (2) state agencies; (3) state universities; (4) public schools; (5) post-secondary educational institutions; and (6) Indian nations, tribes and pueblos. B. The secretary may make grants from the fund for physical projects utilizing clean energy technologies and clean energy education, technical assistance and training programs. The department may use no more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) from the fund for the administration of the grants program and to conduct research or studies directly related to the Advanced Energy Technologies Economic Development Act. C. The department may adopt rules establishing the application procedure and required qualifications of projects. No single entity shall receive greater than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) from the fund. Factors that may be considered in approving or denying disbursements from the fund are: (1) the geographic area of the state in which the project is to be conducted in relation to other projects; (2) percentage of cash or in-kind contributions applied to the total project; (3) the extent to which the project incorporates an innovative new technology or an innovative application of an existing technology; (4) the degree to which the project will reduce the entity's energy-related expenditures; (5) the degree to which the project fosters the general public's, students' or a specific government or industry sector's overall understanding and appreciation of clean energy technologies; and (6) the extent to which the project stimulates in-state economic development, including jobs creation, and further development of a commercial market for clean energy technologies. D. Except as provided otherwise in this section, the department shall disburse: (1) no less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to municipalities and county governments; (2) no less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to state universities and post-secondary educational institutions; (3) no less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) to Indian nations, tribes and pueblos; and (4) no more than two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) to state agencies and public schools. E. The minimum disbursements designated in this section may be amended by the department if an insufficient number of qualified projects are applied for by entities seeking grant funding within a particular category or categories. F. The department shall report on disbursements made from the fund to the legislative finance committee prior to each regular legislative session. The report shall include: (1) a list of recipients receiving disbursements; (2) the amount of each disbursement; (3) the date of each disbursement; (4) a description of each project or expansion funded with a disbursement; (5) a description of each project's contribution to the state's knowledge and use of clean energy technologies; and (6) a description of the extent to which the grants program is benefitting the state's environment, public health and economic development.

Legislative History

Laws 2004, ch. 55, § 6.