HB 6853 / Public Act No. 23-157 Summary

• Establishes a microgrid and resilience grant and loan pilot program administered by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to support distributed energy generation for critical facilities and resilience projects.

• Expands eligible grant and loan recipients to include local and regional governmental entities, municipal corporations, regional councils of governments, public authorities, tribes, electric distribution companies, municipal electric utilities, nonprofits, academic institutions, and private entities.

• Prioritizes grant and loan awards to proposals that benefit vulnerable communities, including low and moderate income communities and environmental justice communities.

• Provides grant and loan assistance for community planning, design and engineering services, interconnection infrastructure, energy storage systems, renewable energy generation projects, and non-federal cost sharing for resilience-related grant and loan applications.

• Allows state agencies to participate in building decarbonization projects for state-owned or leased buildings, subject to review and approval by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Office of Policy and Management, with projects limited to those sustainable within agency operating budgets.