4E Relating to energy; providing direction for the use of the federal government stimulus money for energy programs

ARTICLE 1 - DEFINITIONS; LEGISLATIVE NOTICE

Providing for stimulus funding allocation provided to the state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for energy efficiency and conservation block grants, the weatherization assistance program and the state energy program; defining certain terms; limiting administrative costs of the programs; regulating contractors bidding; requiring commissioner of commerce to provide legislative notice for the awarding of certain grants

ARTICLE 2 - ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Specifying income eligibility limits for participants under the weatherization assistance program, requiring the commissioner to attempt to increase the number of low-income rental units weatherized, providing eligibility for shelters and certain solar heat assistance recipients, specifying certain duties of the commissioner relating to federal waivers, authorizing payments to weatherization service providers for certain allowable expenses; requiring commissioner to coordinate with the housing finance agency (HFA) to use stimulus funds for certain residential energy efficiency programs; requiring commissioner to make a grant to a city of the first class and a grant to a small rural city located in the service area of Minnesota Power for an innovative energy residential efficiency program, specifying certain program requirements, match requirement; providing grants for outreach activities to increase residential participation in energy activities, specifying certain eligibility requirements; providing energy efficiency and conservation block grants to local governments, exceptions; providing local government and school district renovation grants to make energy efficiency improvements in existing local government and school district facilities and providing for the use of stimulus funds for state government building renovations to enhance energy efficiency; specifying certain reporting requirements; authorizing commissioner of administration to covenant in a master lease-purchase agreement under the state energy improvement financing program, specifying agreements not debt, requiring commissioner of finance to reduce the operating budgets of state agencies using the master lease-purchase programs under a financial agreement; requiring commissioner of commerce to award a grant to a nonprofit organization to develop an energy technology transfer center; requiring commissioner to develop a plan for a national energy efficiency center to test energy efficiency equipment and systems

ARTICLE 3 - RENEWABLE ENERGY

Authorizing and providing for renewable electric generation and geothermal facility rebates, solar rebates to homeowners and businesses installing solar energy projects and solar cities program grants to local units of government for the installation of large and small scale solar electric or thermal projects; establishing a school district and local government renewable energy grant program to award grants to units of government to finance the purchase and installation of a renewable energy system or a geothermal heating and cooling system; establishing an emerging renewable energy industries grant program to award grants to eligible businesses to assist in the development of certain energy systems and to businesses manufacturing components for certain energy systems; authorizing commissioner to award a grant to the city of Kennedy for the energy conversion of a former school building to utilize geothermal, wind and solar energy and to house a renewable energy business center; regulating solar electric installations

ARTICLE 4 - COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL SECTOR ENERGY PROJECTS

Authorizing and providing for grants to commercial and industrial facilities; authorizing commissioner to award a grant to a port authority located in the electric service area of the electric facility with the largest number of commercial and industrial customers for a program to provide for the design, financing and installation of energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems in commercial facilities, industrial facilities and facilities owned by a nonprofit organization; authorizing commissioner to award grants to economic development authorities or to owners of commercial and industrial facilities and facilities owned by a nonprofit organizations for certain energy programs in buildings

ARTICLE 5 - MISCELLANEOUS

Requiring the commissioner in conjunction with department of employment and economic development (DEED), the office of higher education and Minnesota state colleges and universities to develop and implement a training and workforce development plan for energy professionals, specifying certain plan components and procedures, providing for training access and affordability; requiring commissioner to provide an accountability and transparency report to the legislature of federal stimulus money spent on funded programs, requiring report availability to the public on the office of energy security Web site; requiring commissioner to coordinate state and local government effects to obtain competitive grants for energy-related purposes, specifying certain consultation requirements

ARTICLE 6 - APPROPRIATIONS

Appropriating money to commissioner of commerce for the weatherization assistance program, the energy efficiency and conservation block program and the state energy program; authorizing certain funding reallocations under certain conditions

ARTICLE 7 - EFFECTIVE DATE

Providing an effective date
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