Energy (Pipeline Infrastructure)

HB 2661 establishes the Missouri Energy Infrastructure Bank and a dedicated fund to provide financial assistance for energy infrastructure projects. The program offers loans, bonds, and other support to electric providers (including utilities and rural cooperatives) for eligible projects like generation and transmission infrastructure, with priority given to projects in rural areas (counties with under 150,000 residents) that spur economic development. It explicitly excludes routine maintenance or repairs, focusing instead on new construction or upgrades requiring long-term planning. The bank will manage funds from the Energy Fund and Strategic Development Fund to finance these projects through mechanisms like interest rate subsidies and credit enhancements.