AN ACT to amend and reenact sections 54-63.1-03 and 54-63.1-07 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the membership of the clean sustainable energy authority and the clean sustainable energy fund line of credit; and to provide for a transfer.
SB 2188 revises North Dakota’s Clean Sustainable Energy Authority and Clean Sustainable Energy Fund. It increases the authority’s membership from 17 to 18 by adding one additional nonvoting technical advisor, while keeping the overall structure of voting members and technical advisors tied to legislative, lignite, oil and gas, renewable energy, and utility-related appointments. The bill also makes conforming changes to meeting and recommendation procedures, preserving the authority’s role in evaluating and advancing clean sustainable energy projects.
The bill further updates the financing framework for the Clean Sustainable Energy Fund. It maintains the continuing appropriation for grants, loans, and administrative costs, but extends the industrial commission’s access to the Bank of North Dakota line of credit through June 30, 2029, and keeps the line of credit cap at $390 million. It also requires repayment of the line of credit from fund revenues or, if necessary, through a deficiency appropriation or other legislative appropriation. In addition, the bill directs a $50 million transfer from the strategic investment and improvements fund to the clean sustainable energy fund during the 2025-2027 biennium, with $10 million designated for grants and $40 million for line-of-credit repayment and loans.
SB 2188 amends North Dakota Century Code sections governing the Clean Sustainable Energy Authority and Clean Sustainable Energy Fund, affecting how the authority is staffed, how it meets and approves recommendations, and how the fund is financed and administered. It extends the state’s ability to use a Bank of North Dakota line of credit to support clean energy loans and loan guarantees, and it authorizes a significant one-time transfer from the strategic investment and improvements fund into the clean sustainable energy fund. The bill primarily affects the Industrial Commission, the Bank of North Dakota, authority appointees, and recipients of clean energy grants and loans.
The bill appears to have broad legislative support, passing the Senate and House by comfortable margins overall, though not unanimously. The recorded votes show strong majorities in favor in both chambers, suggesting general agreement on continuing and expanding the state’s clean energy financing tools and on making the fund available for additional grants and loans. The presence of a meaningful minority of no votes in the House indicates some reservations, but the overall sentiment was favorable.
The main points of contention likely centered on the size and use of public funds for clean energy financing, especially the $50 million transfer from the strategic investment and improvements fund and the continued availability of a large $390 million line of credit. Legislators who voted no may have been concerned about state exposure, debt repayment risk, or the policy direction of supporting clean energy projects through public financing. Supporters, by contrast, appear to have viewed the bill as a practical update to governance and funding mechanisms for an existing program rather than a major policy shift.