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<section article="gec" article_name="Economic Development" number="10-855" title_number="10" title_name="Statewide Development Resources and Revenue Authorities" subtitle_number="8" subtitle_name="Maryland Clean Energy Center">
  <level label="a">
    <text>There is a Climate Catalytic Capital Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The purpose of the Fund is to promote geographical impact remedies and to leverage increased private capital investment in technology development and deployment, including project planning, to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enable the adoption of measures to combat climate impacts;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>facilitate the electrification of the transportation sector and the use of sustainable alternative fuels in aviation;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>enable improvements in energy management and efficiency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>expand the deployment of clean energy generation and energy storage capacity;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>target the implementation of energy and weatherization measures for low– to moderate–income households;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>optimize the economic, health, social, and environmental value of community–scale infrastructure for resilience and energy equity;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>allow for the deployment of advanced clean energy technology; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>provide for the creation of a Maryland Green Bond program.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Center shall administer the Fund.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The Center shall establish a Fund Oversight Committee, appointed by the Board, to manage the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Fund consists of:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>money made available to the Fund through private contributions and federal grants or programs;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>proceeds from the sale, disposition, lease, or rental of collateral related to financing made from the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>repayment of financing made from the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>returns from or recovery of any financing made from the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>proceeds from the sale of any financing made, or assets acquired with proceeds, from the Fund;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>interest earnings on money in the Fund; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Fund may be used only to:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>evaluate and coordinate financing for qualified projects and clean energy technologies related to the purposes specified under subsection (b) of this section;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>provide financing for qualified projects;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>facilitate efficient tax equity markets for qualified projects;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>secure private investment capital for financing of qualified projects;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>make grants to other green banks in the State for the purpose of financing qualified projects; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, administer the Fund and activities of the Center in carrying out this part.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Not more than 5% of the Fund balance may be used for administrative purposes.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The Fund may not be used for a project to install new equipment that uses fossil fuels or improve the efficiency of existing equipment that uses fossil fuels.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Expenditures from the Fund may be made only with the approval of the Fund Oversight Committee.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>Except as provided in subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, in each fiscal year at least 40% of the Fund balance shall be used for qualified projects in communities with low– to moderate–income households.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>In any fiscal year that there are not sufficient applications for qualified projects in communities with low– to moderate–income households, the Fund Oversight Committee may authorize funding that would otherwise be reserved under subparagraph (i) of this paragraph to be used for other qualified projects.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Fund shall be subject to independent audit.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>On or before December 1 each year, the Center shall report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on the use of the Fund and outcomes of investments made from the Fund.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>For fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026, the Governor shall include in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $5,000,000 to the Fund.</text>
  </level>
</section>
