Colorado Energy Office

Colorado energy office - updates existing programs - repeals obsolete programs. The act repeals the wind for schools grant program, the renewable energy and energy efficiency for schools loan program, the green building incentive pilot program, the "Colorado Clean Energy Finance Program Act", and certain programs for which the Colorado energy office (office) is responsible.

The act removes the office's:

• Involvement with the forest service and the air quality control commission to support the increased use of woody biomass in bio-heating;
• Involvement in grants with the Colorado energy research institute for the development of a central resource for building trade professionals;
• Authority to submit a proposal for credentialing photovoltaic installers;
• Responsibility to maintain a list of solar installers and instead requires the list to be maintained by the Colorado solar energy industries association, or a successor organization, and removes the requirement for the office to offer training on solar installations; and
• Requirement that the funds used in the innovative energy fund for grants or loans shall be limited to innovative energy efficiency projects and policy development.

The act also:

• Specifies nuclear and hydroelectric power as a cleaner energy source that the office should promote;
• Adds energy storage systems as items that the office should promote;
• Adds propane as a traditional energy source that the office should promote;
• Amends the office's requirement to develop and encourage increased utilization of energy curricula, and expands the collaborative groups to include the energy industry and executive departments;
• Renames the clean and renewable energy fund as the energy fund and adds the authority to spend the money in the fund for educating the general public on energy issues and opportunities;
• Removes an obsolete section of law pertaining to a computer system for tracking the movement of gasoline or special fuel in the state;
• Removes the office as the administrator of the Colorado carbon fund special license plate; and
• Makes conforming amendments.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)