CS/HB 9 CLIMATE, ENERGY & WATER DIVISION

Rep Meredith Dixon

Actions: [4] HCEDC/HAFC-HCEDC [9] DNP-CS/DP-HAFC

Scheduled: Not Scheduled

 House Bill 9 (HB 9) creates the Climate, Energy and Water Division within the Economic Development Department and provides the powers and duties of the division. It establishes the decarbonization technology program and creates the Climate, Energy and Water Project Fund. HB 9 appropriates fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000).House Bill 9 (HB 9) creates the Climate, Energy and Water Division within the Economic Development Department and provides the powers and duties of the division. It establishes the decarbonization technology program and creates the Climate, Energy and Water Project Fund. HB 9 appropriates fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000). 

 House Bill 9 (HB 9) creates the Climate, Energy and Water Division (Division) within the Economic Development Department (EDD). It delineates the Division’s powers and duties including being a project-permitting navigator, identifying eligible sites; working to coordinate and collaborate with entities at every level (international, regional, national, indigenous nations) that are working on these issues and with certain organizations and institutions, create plans and programs; establish guidelines and rules for programs and grants; develop successive two-year strategic plans; and make recommendations to the governor. HB 9 allows the Division to adopt rules for a decarbonizaiton technology program; enter into contracts including with designated state agencies to share employees; and anything else necessary to carry out the division’s purposes and powers 
HB 9 mandates that the Division establish a decarbonization technology program for the purposes of policy and statutory change to attract climate, energy and water technology companies,  It will include for recruitment, promotion, coordination, development and implementation, and recommendations for policy and statutory changes.
HB 9 creates the non-reverting Climate, Energy and Water Project Fund (Fund) administered by the Division to make grants to eligible entities for matching funds; pilot and demonstration projects; and studies and research concerning clean energy and energy conservation.
HB 9 appropriates fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) from the General Fund (GF) as follows:
•	Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) to the Fund for expenditure for Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 and subsequent FYs for the purpose of the Fund.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a FY will not revert to the GF;
•	Five million dollars ($5,000,000) to the Division for expenditure for Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 to carry out the purpose of the Division. 
Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2025 reverts to the GF;
 

 New Mexico's objective is to achieve a statewide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 45% by 2030 as compared to 2005 levels. Governor Lujan Grisham by executive order 2019-003 established the Climate Change Task Force comprised of nine smaller, interagency Climate Action Teams responsible for proposing, planning, and implementing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance New Mexico's ability to adapt to climate change.
 

 2/6/2024
The House Commerce and Economic Development Committee introduced a committee substitute for HB 9 (HCEDC CS/HB 9) that reduces the number of divisions in the Economic Development Department (EDD) from seven to six divisions by creating the Climate, Energy and Water Division and deleting the Technology Enterprise Division and the Trade And Mexican Affairs Division in Section 9-15-4 NMSA 1978.
HCEDC CS/HB 9 creates the Climate, Energy and Water Division (Division) within the Economic Development Department (EDD). It delineates the Division’s powers and duties including being a project-permitting navigator, identifying eligible sites; working to coordinate and collaborate with entities at every level (international, regional, national, indigenous nations) that are working on these issues and with certain organizations and institutions, create plans and programs; establish guidelines and rules for programs and grants; develop successive two-year strategic plans; and make recommendations to the governor. HCEDC CS/HB 9  allows the Division to adopt rules for a decarbonizaiton technology program; enter into contracts including with designated state agencies to share employees; and anything else necessary to carry out the division’s purposes and powers 
HCEDC CS/HB 9 mandates that the Division establish a decarbonization technology program for the purposes of policy and statutory change to attract climate, energy and water technology companies. It includes recruitment, promotion, coordination, development and implementation, and recommendations for policy and statutory changes.
HCEDC CS/HB 9  creates the non-reverting Climate, Energy and Water Project Fund (Fund) administered by the Division to make grants to eligible entities for matching funds; pilot and demonstration projects; and studies and research concerning clean energy and energy conservation.
HCEDC CS/HB 9 appropriates fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000) from the General Fund (GF) as follows:
•	Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) to the Fund for expenditure for Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 and subsequent FYs for the purpose of the Fund.  Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of a FY will not revert to the GF;
•	Five million dollars ($5,000,000) to the Division for expenditure for Fiscal Years (FY) 2025 to carry out the purpose of the Division. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY 2025 reverts to the GF;
 
HCEDC CS/HB 9 would be effective 1 July 2024.
 

  HB 9 relates to HB 237