Substitute House Bill No. 6851
Public Act No. 23-156
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
HYDROGEN TASK FORCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2023) On or before December 31,
2024, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall
develop and approve a hydrogen strategic plan. The hydrogen strategic
plan shall include recommendations for policies, programs and
regulations to grow the state's hydrogen economy, consistent with the
greenhouse gas reduction goals established in section 22a-200a of the
general statutes, the Integrated Resources Plan approved pursuant to
section 16a-3a of the general statutes and the Comprehensive Energy
Strategy prepared pursuant to section 16a-3d of the general statutes. The
strategic plan shall (1) encourage the use of hydrogen produced from
renewable energy, (2) prioritize the application of hydrogen produced
from renewable energy to aviation, maritime shipping, ferry
transportation, heavy-duty trucking and high-temperature industrial
processes, and (3) describe the current and projected cost differences
between powering such sectors and processes with hydrogen produced
from renewable energy compared to powering such sectors and
processes with fossil fuels.
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 31-53d of the general statutes is Substitute House Bill No. 6851
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repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1,
2023):
(a) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) "Covered project" means a renewable energy project [that is
situated on land in this state, commences construction on or after July 1,
2021, and has] with a total nameplate capacity of two megawatts or
more that is situated on land in the state, or, on and after January 1, 2025,
a hydrogen project. "Covered project" does not include (A) any
renewable energy project (i) selected in a competitive solicitation
conducted by (I) the Department of Energy and Environmental
Protection, or (II) an electric distribution company, as defined in section
16-1, and (ii) approved by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
prior to January 1, 2022, [or] (B) any renewable energy project under
contract with another entity and approved by the relevant regulatory
authority, as applicable, prior to January 1, 2022, or (C) any renewable
energy project that commenced construction before July 1, 2021;
(2) "Renewable energy project" means a Class I renewable energy
source, as defined in section 16-1. "Renewable energy project" does not
include any offshore wind facility procured pursuant to section 16a-3h,
16a-3m or 16a-3n;
(3) "Hydrogen project" means any project that produces, processes,
transports, stores or uses hydrogen;
[(3)] (4) "Community benefits agreement" means an agreement
between (A) the developer of a covered project, and (B) community-
based organizations or a coalition of such organizations, that details the
project's contributions to the community in which it is or will be sited
and the aspects of the project that will mitigate adverse conditions of
such community and create opportunities for local businesses,
communities and workers; Substitute House Bill No. 6851
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[(4)] (5) "Labor organization" means any organization, other than a
company union, that exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of
collective bargaining or of dealing with employers concerning
grievances, terms or conditions of employment, or of other mutual aid
or protection, including, but not limited to, (A) bona fide labor
organizations that are certified or recognized as the organization of
jurisdiction representing the workers involved, (B) bona fide building
and construction trades councils or district councils, and (C) state and
local labor federations comprised of local unions certified or recognized
as the representative of the workers; and
[(5)] (6) "Workforce development program" means a program
pursuant to which newly hired employees and existing employees are
given the opportunity to develop skills that will enable such employees
to qualify for higher paying jobs on a covered project. A workforce
development program includes: (A) Apprenticeship training through
an apprenticeship program registered with the Labor Department or a
federally recognized state apprenticeship agency that complies with the
requirements under 29 CFR 29 and 29 CFR 30, as each may be amended
from time to time, and (B) preapprenticeship training that will enable
students to qualify for registered apprenticeship training.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Energy
and Environmental Protection shall, in consultation with the Governor,
the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the
Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, seek
opportunities for federal funding of projects or activities that advance
hydrogen in the state. The Commissioner of Economic and Community
Development shall identify the state's share of the projects or activities
required to meet the matching requirements of the federal acts making
the funds available to the state.