Transcript Highlights:

• A lot of our owners are modernizing their turbines, anticipating, hoping for a blend, hoping to be able
• Like any new part of the economy, especially the green economy, wind and solar and geothermal, you don't
• We did it with offshore wind with the DDB-bar backed; we did it in other areas.
• enables utilities, publicly owned utilities, all utilities to utilize renewable hydrogen in gas turbines
• It would be really tough to do this with wind and solar.

Summary: The Senate Select Committee on Hydrogen Energy held an informational hearing on California’s hydrogen leadership, with the chair framing hydrogen as a complementary clean-energy pathway for hard-to-electrify sectors such as heavy-duty trucking, transit, rail, ports, industrial uses, and backup power. The first panel of private-sector witnesses from the California Hydrogen Business Council, Bosch, Hyundai, and Sierra Northern Railway described existing deployments in California, including hydrogen buses, trucks, fueling infrastructure, and the nation’s first hydrogen fuel cell switcher locomotive. They emphasized that the technology is commercially ready but scaling is constrained by permitting delays, high fuel and equipment costs, infrastructure gaps, and uncertainty around federal support and incentives. Witnesses urged stable state policy, targeted investment, and concentrated deployment in high-impact corridors such as ports and freight hubs. Committee members also asked about labor standards, community engagement, and the current size of the hydrogen vehicle fleet in California and abroad. The second panel focused on air quality, climate, safety, and public health. Testimony from CAPCOA, the Coalition for Clean Air, the California State Building and Construction Trades Council, and a UC Berkeley researcher argued that hydrogen fuel cells can reduce diesel-related pollution and health harms when used in the right applications, especially in ports, rail yards, warehouse corridors, transit depots, and backup power for facilities like data centers. Witnesses cautioned that hydrogen should be used selectively, produced as cleanly as possible, and paired with early community engagement, safety planning, and environmental justice protections. The researcher cited projected reductions in NOx, particulate exposure, premature deaths, and health costs under broader hydrogen adoption. Committee members discussed workforce training, apprenticeship programs, and how to balance near-term costs with long-term infrastructure value. The final panel provided public-sector updates from SamTrans, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Port of Long Beach, and First Public Hydrogen Authority. SamTrans described its transition to a large hydrogen bus fleet and said the loss of expected ARCHES funding created a major infrastructure gap; it asked the state to protect transit funding, restore a sales tax exemption for zero-emission buses, and address axle-weight rules. GoBiz said the state should focus on creating demand, reducing costs, and streamlining permitting, while acknowledging the disruption caused by the federal cancellation of ARCHES funding. The Port of Long Beach reported hydrogen truck deployments, port incentives, and a planned public fueling station, but said high costs, fuel shortages, and uncertainty have slowed momentum. First Public Hydrogen Authority described efforts to aggregate municipal demand and support new green hydrogen production projects, stressing the need for long-term market signals and financing. Committee members repeatedly emphasized the need for state support, infrastructure investment, and a diversified fuel strategy to keep hydrogen deployment moving forward.

Transcript Highlights:

• The lowest paid individual in that plant is going to wind up being about $80,000, and on the high end
• That plant is going to wind up being 250 to 300 jobs, Mr.
• There's one area of our state that is going to be the largest turbine field in the world.
• Solar farms, if you look east, all you're going to see is blinking red lights because those are the turbines
• city of Espanola—100 years of resilience, faith, culture, and community—a valley where the Rio Grande winds

Transcript Highlights:

• Why is it just wind and solar? Because in Missouri right now... ...wind and solar?
• Because in Missouri right now, mainly solar, more than wind.
• And I cannot emphasize enough that wind and solar are the future.
• I don't think we should just have carve-outs just for wind and solar. Thank you, gentlemen.
• And then lastly, that doesn't cover for wind generation as well, whereas this does.

Keywords: 959, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• , but it also prevents fish from going into the turbine.
• A penstock is the big pipe that brings water from the intake to the turbine.
• </c><02:10:37.960><c> uh</c> water from the intake to the turbine uh water from the intake to the turbine
• about fish going through the turbine and being able to survive.
• I used wind as an example; they're doing the same thing with battery storage.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Why is it just wind and solar? Because in Missouri right now... Wind and solar?
• Because in Missouri right now, mainly solar, more than wind.
• And I cannot emphasize enough that wind and solar are the future.
• I don't think we should just have carve-outs just for wind and solar. Thank you, gentlemen.
• And then lastly, that doesn't cover wind generation as well, whereas this does.

Summary: The Special Committee on Rural Issues heard testimony on Senate Substitute for Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 1383, which would expand DESE’s agricultural education pilot program from a limited pilot into a voluntary K-12 curriculum available to school districts statewide. Senator Barbara Washington said the bill is the same language as House Bill 2097, which had already passed the House unanimously, and described the measure as a way to expose more students to agriculture, hydroponics, and related STEM careers. Witnesses from the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri N.A., Missouri Corn Growers Association, Missouri Soybean Association, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, and Missouri Pork Association all testified in support. No opposition or informational testimony was offered, and the hearing closed without a vote. The committee then heard House Concurrent Resolution 38, sponsored by Representative Louis Riggs, urging that federal broadband funds allocated to Missouri remain in the state and be used for deployment. Riggs argued that Missouri had received a large federal broadband award but that a substantial portion had been withheld or redirected, leaving funds in limbo. The Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri Electric Cooperatives testified in support, emphasizing rural broadband needs and the role of cooperative subsidiaries in deployment. No opposition or informational testimony was presented, and the hearing concluded. Next, the committee took up House Bill 1699, sponsored by Representative Mazzie Christensen, which would clarify when a county health officer or county health director’s authority ends if the person is not reappointed. Christensen explained the bill was prompted by a county dispute in which a health officer remained in office after not being reappointed, and said the statute from the 1920s is unclear about vacancy and interim authority. Committee members asked about the two statutory sections involved and the difference between counties with and without public health centers. No witnesses testified for or against the bill, and the hearing ended. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 2169, sponsored by Representative Brad Pollitt, which would limit electrical corporations’ eminent domain authority so it could not be used for wind or solar generation facilities. Pollitt and supporters from the Missouri Farm Bureau, Missouri Soybean Association, and Missouri Corn Growers Association said the bill is intended to protect private property rights and prevent a loophole that could allow renewable projects to condemn land. Ameren testified for informational purposes only, saying it has no plans to use eminent domain for wind or solar and that such authority would be a last resort. Several members raised concerns about whether the bill should also address other energy sources such as nuclear, while others discussed existing eminent domain procedures and the footprint of renewable projects. The hearing closed with no vote taken and the committee adjourned.

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, I'm trying to remember some of the other ones: adding a new minimum flow turbine.
• So if you want wind or 100% renewable.
• The existing wind we have after the fiasco on the last wind project, we probably won't get any more of
• The existing wind we have after the fiasco on the last wind project, we probably won't get any more of
• Um, I expect to get at least 30 years out of a turbine before I have to overhaul it.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• High winds, bark beetles, those old big long trees started falling.
• turbines that are going up.
• The amount of cement that goes down the hole to hold up a wind turbine is unbelievable.
• Turbines do require oil to operate.
• That was after the wind quit blowing.

Transcript Highlights:

• Wind requires over 10,000 kilograms per megawatt.
• Is the intent here to subject solar and wind to the CEC process?
• But if you replace that power plant with solar fields or wind turbines, how many jobs are those?
• turbines in a community.
• What happens—my concern on more wind—what happens to these wind units when they retire?

Bills: HB2014, HB2113, HB2145, HB2331, HB2340, HB2389, HB2400, HB2401, HB2428, HB2494, HB2696, HB2756, HB2795, HB2955, HCM2008

Keywords: air emissions, fuel blends, environmental quality, feasibility study, Arizona Department of Agriculture, utility consumer, rate intervention, public service corporation, Arizona Revised Statutes, residential rates, consumer protection, fuel reformulation, gasoline standards, environmental regulations, ethanol supply, Air Quality, energy reliability, electric service providers, reliable resources, public power entity

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one is the Arkansas Public Service Commission wind energy development rules.
• Wind Energy Development Act.
• turbine to be put on there have to get that approval?
• turbine to be put on there have to get that approval?
• But I know that back during session, there was a lot of controversy about wind power.

Summary: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee reviewed a long agenda of agency rules, with most items approved without objection after brief presentations and no public comment. Early items included Department of Energy and Environment rules on landfill post-closure trust fund spending thresholds and liquefied petroleum gas standards, DFA’s electronic odometer disclosure rule, and several Department of Health rules covering ionizing radiation, mobile home and RV parks, lead-based paint, counseling board revisions, hearing instrument dispensers, athletic training, dental examiners, nursing, pharmacy, medical board, speech-language pathology and audiology, radiologic technology, massage therapy, community health workers, doula certification, and cosmetology/body art. Most of these changes were described as updates to match recent acts, federal standards, compact participation, fee adjustments, or cleanup/clarification, and the committee repeatedly approved them without objection. A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the Arkansas State Board of Nursing’s broad set of rule changes implementing multiple 2025 acts. Those changes included creating a dialysis patient care technician registry, updating contact information requirements, expanding APRN authority to delegate certain tasks, clarifying death certificate and pronouncement authority, allowing substitution of therapeutically equivalent medications, permitting purchase of compounded products, and updating certified medication assistant rules and training standards. Members asked detailed questions about the meaning of therapeutically equivalent substitutions, delegation limits, compounded products, and how often medication lists would be updated; the board said it would review rules annually and use future rulemaking as needed. The committee also approved new nursing rules for declaratory orders and the new dialysis registry. The Department of Education’s rules drew the most discussion, especially the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom Account Program. The department said the revisions, based on Act 920 of 2025, were intended to add guardrails, clarify eligible expenses, and streamline approvals. Changes included defining core educational expenses, limiting sports-related spending, adding an intentional misuse standard, restricting certain technology purchases and requiring extra justification over $1,000, capping carryover funds at $8,500, and creating a reconsideration process for denied expenses. Members raised concerns about oversight, appeal timelines, sports equipment, provider credentialing, and whether the rules were too restrictive; department officials said the rules were meant to protect taxpayer funds while preserving flexibility, and they noted the program had received extensive public comment. The committee also approved Education rules for scholarships, residency classification, teacher programs, accelerated learning, and graduate medical education, as well as Labor and Licensing rules on wage and hour standards, boiler rules, motor vehicle commission requirements, professional wrestling regulation, appraiser qualifications, and military recruiting incentives.

Transcript Highlights:

• Number one is the Arkansas Public Service Commission wind energy development rules."
• Wind Energy Development Act.
• So do I go get that FAA approval, or does every landowner who is going to lease land for a wind turbine
• And for a wind turbine to be put on there, do they have to go get that approval?
• But I know that back during session there was a lot of controversy about wind power.

Keywords: 1204, all

Transcript Highlights:

• birds die as a result of these obstructions. annually in the United States due to collisions with wind
• turbines.
• Does Texas Parks and Wildlife have the ability to shut down wind turbines?
• Right now, the target structure is over. ...100 feet wind turbines to be sure, but that threshold could
• Wind turbines, for their part, undergo a review by the Department of Defense and must comply with stringent

Bills: HB1535, HB 123, HB 111, HB180, HB342, HB 1027, HB 1178, HB610, HB 1277, HB1615, HB1620, HB5342, HB4885, HB4751, HB4689, HB4530, HB4488, HB2149, HB2041, HB2071, HB1813, HB2282, HB2248, HB2243, HB2522, HB2310, HB2513, HB2300, HB1902, HB3719, HB4284, HB4327, HB3743, HB3778, HB3801, HB5153, HB5147, HB4877, HB4850, HB3158, HB3261, HB3005, HB3033, HB3138, HB3099, HB2849, HB2967, HB3488, HB3477, HB3466, HB3396, HB3469, HB2594, HB2776, HB2564, HB2298, HB5331, HB5646, HB5247, HB5323, HB2015, HB4384, HB3896, HB4014, HB3627, HB3594, HB2524, HB510, HB561, HB5111, HB5446, HB 1181, HB3963, HB2785, HB1661, HB2460, HB24, HJR138, HB3800, HB42, HB 129, HB677, HB668, HB2128, HB2038, HB2316, HB3686, HB2563, HB 1160, HB3883, HB2788, HB2663, HB3305, HB3474, HB 1105, HB3490, HB3597, HB 1295, HB3512, HB3783, HB2017, HB3010, HB3112, HB4215, HB3223, HB3464, HB3120, HB4214, HB4081, HB4783, HB4063, HB2783, HB5085, HB2510, HB3426, HB4361, HB 1169, HB2516, HB4700, HB3560, HB3860, HB3146, HB184, HB198, HB247, HB367, HB449, HB1778, HB514, HB632, HB2582, HB766, HB2715, HB2712, HB3069, HB3505, HB 1269, HB4224, HB5032, HB2240, HB5180, HB3348, HB4668, HB4665, HB3395, HB3157, HB4395, HB4325, HB4386, HB4273, HB2760, HB2820, HB1828, HB1579, SB2349, SB1268, SB610, SB1577, SB1369, SB2032, SB2034, SB1057, SB1044, SB922, SB1759, SB1143, SB1506, SB1403, SB2361, SB870, SB372, SB72, SB1583, SB2314, SB1267, SB1273, SB765, SB552, HB2145, HJR112, HB1804, HJR110, HB 1194, HB1531, HB5008, HB3421, SCR27, HB5398, HB1407, HB426, HB1535, HB 123, HB1773, HB1871, HB2035, HB2448, HB2492, HB1411, HB4753, HB4666, HB4529, HB1499, HB1610, HB2028, HB1506, HB886, HB3546, HB796, HB223, HB1475, HB3556, HB4638, HB 111, HB180, HB342, HB 1027, HB 1178, HB610, HB 1277, HB1615, HB1620, HB5342, HB4885, HB4751, HB4689, HB4530, HB4488, HB2149, HB2041, HB2071, HB1813, HB2282, HB2248, HB2243, HB2522, HB2310, HB2513, HB2300, HB1902, HB3719, HB4284, HB4327, HB3743, HB3778, HB3801, HB5153, HB5147, HB4877, HB4850, HB3158, HB3261, HB3005, HB3033, HB3138, HB3099, HB2849, HB2967, HB3488, HB3477, HB3466, HB3396, HB3469, HB2594, HB2776, HB2564, HB2298, HB5331, HB5646, HB5247, HB5323, HB2015, HB4384, HB3896, HB4014, HB3627, HB3594, HB2524, HB510, HB561, HB5111, HB5446, HB 1181, HB3963, HB2785, HB1661, HB2460, HCR98, HCR92, HCR126

Keywords: Trinity River Authority, river authority, Sunset Advisory Commission, Texas Sunset Act, board of directors, governor appointment, public water authority, regional water authority, water resources, local government, natural resources, board training, ethics, open meetings, public information, conflict of interest, complaint procedures, public comment, director removal, governance reform

Transcript Highlights:

• And then also SPP in particular is very vulnerable to wind conditions, you know, so coupling a low-wind
• ><c> a</c><00:52:30.640><c> um</c> coupling a low wind period with a um coupling a low wind period with
• </c> obviously they had a lot of wind obviously they had a lot of wind generation<01:14:11.040><c> that
• So that's look at the wind generation.
• Wind had some issues, winterization.

Bills: HF3296, HF3802

Keywords: energy conservation, data centers, electric sales, energy optimization, utility regulations, energy regulation, certificate of need, renewable energy, power production, energy efficiency, Minnesota statutes, 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• It's wind. It's distributed energy.
• It is wind. It is distributed energy.
• </c><00:40:43.440><c> So,</c> gas turbine being 5 to seven years.
• So, gas turbine being 5 to seven years.
• </c> glasses when it comes to wind and solar. glasses when it comes to wind and solar.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Wind turbines frequently use a diesel motor to start them because the blades are so heavy that the wind
• can’t start them on its own, so you have to have a diesel motor to start those turbines.
• turbine can provide that source of heat.
• Yes, I would agree to that, and it falls under the same problem as the wind turbines.
• > you</c><03:45:52.359><c> for</c> the wind turbines so thank you for the wind turbines so thank you

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• a variety of sources, I'd point out that the cheapest forms of energy today are solar and onshore wind
• If you wanted to build a gas turbine plant, a gas generation plant today, it would be five years before
• you could even get a turbine because of the backlog.

Keywords: nominations, Undersecretary of Energy, Undersecretary of Science, Preston Griffith, Dario Gil, energy policy, scientific innovation

Summary: The meeting was convened to discuss several significant nominations, particularly focusing on Preston Wills Griffith III for Undersecretary of Energy and Dr. Dario Gil for Undersecretary of Science. The committee underscored the importance of these roles in shaping American energy policy and scientific innovation. The discussion highlighted the nominees' backgrounds, with Griffith having extensive experience at the Department of Energy and the White House, and Gil bringing expertise in quantum technology and energy research. Members expressed a strong desire to understand the nominees' perspectives on current challenges facing the energy sector, including regulatory mandates and national security concerns. The meeting concluded with a commitment to ensuring thorough evaluations of the candidates and their proposed approaches to pressing issues.

Transcript Highlights:

• I guess the offshore wind is how that's it. It makes you go, wow, wow. The offshore wind.
• Guess the offshore wind is having—that's it. That's it. It makes you go, wow, wow.
• The offshore wind, yeah. It's getting cut off. He enjoys it, though.
• She was there, and I said, oh, take a picture of the wind turbines, and she happened to actually just
• be going by the wind turbines.

Summary: The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications held an oversight hearing focused on electric rates, utility regulation, affordability, wildfire costs, and the California Public Utilities Commission’s role. Chair and members framed the discussion around the challenge of transitioning to a cleaner grid while maintaining reliability and keeping bills affordable. The hearing also served as the annual update from the CPUC and the Public Advocates Office, with testimony from Professor Severin Borenstein and CPUC President-designate Alice Reynolds. Borenstein gave a primer on utility regulation, explaining that generation is largely deregulated while transmission and distribution remain regulated, and that most rate-setting follows cost-of-service regulation. He emphasized that the hardest issue is setting the allowed return on equity: too high can raise bills and encourage capital-heavy spending, while too low can deter investment and harm reliability. He argued there is no silver bullet, said performance-based regulation and price caps have limits, and suggested some costs now charged through electric bills—such as climate programs, low-income subsidies, and wildfire-related public policy costs—might more appropriately be paid through the state budget. Reynolds described the CPUC’s oversight role, saying the commission reviews utility spending through general rate cases, balancing accounts, and other proceedings, and that affordability is addressed through front-end scrutiny, post-spend accountability, and legislative direction. She highlighted wildfire mitigation as a major driver of rate increases, noted recent progress on clean energy procurement and battery storage, and said the CPUC is working on return-on-equity decisions, FERC advocacy on transmission costs, and implementation of SB 254 and other statutes. Members pressed on a range of issues, including wildfire securitization, load growth from EVs and data centers, gas-system stranded assets, balancing accounts, and a water-service dispute in Keene involving Union Pacific. No votes were taken; the hearing was informational, with several follow-up commitments from the CPUC to provide data and updates.

Transcript Highlights:

• And then nobody has really talked about wind today. Are we the number one in wind now too?
• Y'all have the same concerns about wind that you do on solar?
• Wind is just under 50,000. And for the first time in a really long time, gas is more than wind.
• Wind is just under 50,000. And for the first time, in a really long time, gas is more than wind.
• I’m not sure on the wind, and most of the wind and solar tends to be in the west.

Keywords: 1185, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Valley Solid Waste Authority to engage in collaboration, planning, and design of a recycling site for wind
• turbine blades.
• Valley Solid Waste Authority to engage in collaboration, planning, and design of a recycling site for wind
• turbine blades.

Keywords: 996, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Louisiana, that was previously intended at the November 2025 meeting, needs to be clarified to be the Wind
• This cogeneration plant uses a natural gas-fired turbine generator and a heat recovery steam generator

Summary: The Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget met on March 19, 2006, and first received a fiscal status statement and five-year baseline budget from the Office of Planning and Budget, with no changes reported. The committee then approved several BA-7 budget adjustments, including additional funding for the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism’s Cultural Development Program, a $24.4 million federal funds increase for the Louisiana Department of Health’s Rural Health Transformation Program grant, and a $1 million statutory dedication for reimbursement related to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. All of these items were recommended for approval by both OPB and the Legislative Fiscal Office. The committee also approved a Facility Planning and Control request for the Louisiana Military Department to add $9.1 million to the Jackson Barracks cyber warfare operations project to incorporate a SCIF, bringing total authority to $29.7 million. Members then approved several interpretations of legislative intent to correct or clarify prior appropriations, including parish and local-government recipients and purposes in St. Mary Parish, Catahoula Parish, Lafourche Parish, East Feliciana, and the Wind Foundation of Louisiana. In addition, the committee approved one-year extensions and added funding for Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism tourism advertising contracts, and approved a final extension of the Office of Risk Management’s contract with Sedgwick Claims Management Services. Later, the committee reviewed but did not require action on a change-order report and heard presentations on two university-related agreements. Louisiana Tech University described a plan to shift campus utility service from its aging cogeneration system to local utility providers, requiring new chillers and boilers but projected to save more than $1.6 million annually in operating costs, with estimated debt service of about $1.2 million. The committee also heard an extension request from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for consulting services supporting its Banner ERP system. The meeting concluded with adjournment after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• Unfortunately, these are not showing all of the shovel-ready wind and solar projects.
• projects as well as battery, onshore wind, and battery projects.
• One of the biggest hits to the state is offshore wind turbine projects that we are just starting to have
• </c><00:54:07.440><c> uh</c> fall within these um offshore wind uh fall within these um offshore wind
• </c> hits to the state is um, offshore wind hits to the state is um, offshore wind turbine<00:54:20.960

Keywords: 912, senate, all

Summary: The Judiciary and Agriculture and Environment committees held an informational briefing on how recent federal policy changes, funding delays, cancellations, and layoffs are affecting Hawaii’s climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, and on the legality of some of those federal actions. Chair Carl Rhodes and Chair Mike Gabbard opened the meeting by framing it as part of an interim series on the rule of law and Hawaii’s response to federal actions. They noted there would be no public testimony, only invited presenters, and that questions would be held until the end. No votes or formal committee actions were taken. State climate change coordinator Leah Laramie described broad impacts from federal actions, including grant cancellations, litigation over terminated funding, staff cuts at NOAA and EPA, and the effect of the federal tax and spending law she said would raise energy costs, reduce grid reliability, and threaten renewable energy and transportation projects. She highlighted the loss or expiration of incentives for EVs and other clean-energy technologies, the termination of the Solar for All program and other rescissions, and the risk to major Hawaii projects such as Carbon Smart Commodities and other energy and land conservation programs. She also said the state’s attorneys general had taken numerous climate-related legal actions, including suits challenging federal cuts and the oil companies’ role in the climate crisis. Retired Justice Michael Wilson focused on the rule of law and climate justice, arguing that Hawaii is on the front line of climate change and that fossil fuel companies pose the greatest long-term threat. He said the state lacks a comprehensive climate protection plan despite the urgency of the crisis, cited UN and scientific warnings about a limited time horizon and severe warming, and pointed to projected local harms such as sea-level rise, beach loss, infrastructure damage, and major economic losses in Waikiki. His remarks emphasized the need for stronger planning and legal accountability, especially in light of federal rollbacks and the influence of fossil fuel interests.