00                            HOUSE BILL NO. 219                                                                          
01 "An Act relating to the renewable energy grant fund."                                                                   
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1. AS 42.45.045(d) is amended to read:                                                                   
04            (d)  The authority shall, in consultation with the advisory committee                                        
05       established under (i) of this section and the Department of Natural Resources,                                    
06                 (1)  develop a methodology for determining the order of projects that                                   
07       may receive assistance, including separate requirements for grant eligibility, and adopt                          
08       regulations identifying criteria to evaluate the benefit and feasibility of projects for                          
09       which an applicant applies for support from the legislature, with the most weight being                           
10       given to projects that serve any area in which the average cost of energy to each                                 
11       resident of the area exceeds the average cost to each resident of other areas of the                              
12       state, and significant weight being given to a statewide balance of grant funds, [AND]                        
13       to the amount of matching funds an applicant has verified to the authority that are                           
14       [IS ABLE TO MAKE] available for a project, and to projects that are likely to                                 
15       have a financial benefit that exceeds the amount of grant funds received;                                     

01                 (2)  make recommendations to the legislature for renewable power                                        
02       production reimbursement grants; [AND]                                                                            
03                 (3)  not later than 10 days after the first day of each regular legislative                             
04       session, submit to the legislature a report summarizing and reviewing each grant                                  
05       application submitted under this section and a recommended priority for awarding                                  
06       grants; and                                                                                                   
07                 (4)  require activity reports for each project funded at intervals                                  
08       determined by the authority.                                                                                  
09    * Sec. 2. AS 42.45.045 is amended by adding a new subsection to read:                                              
10            (m)  The authority shall enter into a contract or agreement with an economist                                
11       with experience in the area of renewable energy for the economist to prepare a written                            
12       evaluation for each project the authority recommends under (e) of this section and                                
13       submit a report to the legislature detailing the results of the evaluation.