HF 1866

2nd Engrossment - 88th Legislature (2013 - 2014) Posted on 03/19/2014 12:19pm

A bill for an act
relating to state government; modifying laws governing certain Department
of Commerce advisory groups; amending Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections
216B.813, subdivision 2; 216B.815; 216C.02, subdivision 1; repealing Minnesota
Statutes 2012, sections 82B.021, subdivision 10; 82B.05, subdivisions 1, 3, 5, 6,
7; 82B.06; 116L.361, subdivision 2; 116L.363; 298.2213, subdivision 5.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 216B.813, subdivision 2, is amended to
read:

Subd. 2.

Grants.

(a) The commissioner of commerce shall operate a competitive
grant program for projects to assist the state in attaining its renewable hydrogen energy
goals. deleted text begin The commissioner of commerce shall assemble an advisory committee made up of
industry, university, government, and nongovernment organizations to:
deleted text end

deleted text begin (1) help identify the most promising technology deployment projects for public
investment;
deleted text end

deleted text begin (2) advise on the technical specifications for those projects; and
deleted text end

deleted text begin (3) make recommendations on project grants.
deleted text end

(b) The commissioner shall give preference to project concepts included in the
department's most recent biennial report: Strategic Demonstration Projects to Accelerate
the Commercialization of Renewable Hydrogen and Related Technologies in Minnesota.
Projects eligible for funding must combine one or more of the hydrogen production
options listed in the department's report with an end use that has significant commercial
potential, preferably high visibility, and relies on fuel cells or related technologies. Each
funded technology deployment must include an explicit education and awareness-raising
component, be compatible with the renewable hydrogen deployment criteria defined in
section 216B.812, and receive 50 percent of its total cost from nonstate sources. The 50
percent requirement does not apply for recipients that are public institutions.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 216B.815, is amended to read:

216B.815 REGIONAL ENERGY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
PARTNERSHIP.

(a) The state's public research and higher education institutions should work with
one another and with similar institutions in the region to establish Minnesota and the
Upper Midwest as a center of research, education, outreach, and technology transfer for
the production of renewable energy and products, including hydrogen, fuel cells, and
related technologies. The partnership should be designed to create a critical mass of
research and education capability that can compete effectively for federal and private
investment in these areas.

(b) deleted text begin The partnership must include an advisory committee comprised of government,
industry, academic, and nonprofit representatives to help focus its research and education
efforts on the most critical issues.
deleted text end

deleted text begin (c) deleted text end Initiatives undertaken by the partnership may include:

(1) collaborative and interdisciplinary research, demonstration projects, and
commercialization of market-ready technologies;

(2) creation of undergraduate and graduate course offerings and eventually degreed
and vocational programs with reciprocity;

(3) establishment of fellows programs at the region's institutes of higher learning
that provide financial incentives for relevant study, research, and exchange; and

(4) development and field-testing of relevant curricula, teacher kits for all educational
levels, and widespread teacher training, in collaboration with state energy offices, teachers,
nonprofits, businesses, the United States Department of Energy, and other interested parties.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2012, section 216C.02, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Powers.

(a) The commissioner may:

(1) apply for, receive, and spend money received from federal, municipal, county,
regional, and other government agencies and private sources;

(2) apply for, accept, and disburse grants and other aids from public and private
sources;

(3) contract for professional services if work or services required or authorized to
be carried out by the commissioner cannot be satisfactorily performed by employees of
the department or by another state agency;

(4) enter into interstate compacts to carry out research and planning jointly with
other states or the federal government when appropriate;

(5) upon reasonable request, distribute informational material at no cost to the
public; and

(6) enter into contracts for the performance of the commissioner's duties with
federal, state, regional, metropolitan, local, and other agencies or units of government and
educational institutions, including the University of Minnesota, without regard to the
competitive bidding requirements of chapters 16A and 16C.

(b) The commissioner shall collect information on conservation and other
energy-related programs carried on by other agencies, by public utilities, by cooperative
electric associations, by municipal power agencies, by other fuel suppliers, by political
subdivisions, and by private organizations. Other agencies, cooperative electric
associations, municipal power agencies, and political subdivisions shall cooperate
with the commissioner by providing information requested by the commissioner. The
commissioner may by rule require the submission of information by other program
operators. The commissioner shall make the information available to other agencies and
to the public and, as necessary, shall recommend to the legislature changes in the laws
governing conservation and other energy-related programs to ensure that:

(1) expenditures on the programs are adequate to meet identified needs;

(2) the needs of low-income energy users are being adequately addressed;

(3) duplication of effort is avoided or eliminated;

(4) a program that is ineffective is improved or eliminated; and

(5) voluntary efforts are encouraged through incentives for their operators.

deleted text begin The commissioner shall appoint an advisory task force to help evaluate the information
collected and formulate recommendations to the legislature. The task force must include
low-income energy users.
deleted text end

(c) By January 15 of each year, the commissioner shall report to the legislature on
the projected amount of federal money likely to be available to the state during the next
fiscal year, including grant money and money received by the state as a result of litigation
or settlements of alleged violations of federal petroleum-pricing regulations. The report
must also estimate the amount of money projected as needed during the next fiscal year
to finance a level of conservation and other energy-related programs adequate to meet
projected needs, particularly the needs of low-income persons and households, and must
recommend the amount of state appropriations needed to cover the difference between the
projected availability of federal money and the projected needs.

Sec. 4. new text begin CLARIFICATION OF CONTINUED EXISTENCE.
new text end

new text begin This section clarifies that the Automobile Theft Prevention Advisory Board created
in Minnesota Statutes, section 65B.84, subdivision 4, did not expire June 30, 2009.
Actions taken by that group and public funds spent on behalf of the group are valid.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment
and applies retroactively from June 30, 2009.
new text end

Sec. 5. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2012, sections 82B.021, subdivision 10; 82B.05, subdivisions 1,
3, 5, 6, and 7; 82B.06; 116L.361, subdivision 2; 116L.363; and 298.2213, subdivision
5, new text end new text begin are repealed.
new text end