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Green Banks and Related SFOs

MCLI Recommendation: “State governments that have not done so should act to establish SFOs to lend directly or organize financing for decarbonization projects in their jurisdiction.”

LPDD Recommendation: “States and local governments should establish green banks or similar SFOs.”

LPDD Recommendation: “Existing state agencies and authorities, ranging from water and sewer authorities, to municipal utilities, to state treasurers, can often take on the task of sponsoring financing programs and serving some or all of the functions of an SFO.”

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24 resources

Resource Congress

Proposed American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 would have created a national green bank. It passed the House but failed in the Senate.
Example Local Governments

DC Green Bank

The District of Columbia Green Finance Authority Establishment Act of 2018 made Washington, DC the first city in the United States to establish a green bank. The DC Green Bank aims to attract private ...
Resource Congress

Proposed Green Bank Act of 2014

The proposed Green Bank Act of 2014 (HR 4522) would have established a Green Bank as a federally-owned independent corporation with a 20-year charter. It would have authorized an initial capitalizatio...
Example States and State Governments

Wisconsin Green Bank Exploratory Order

In April 2023, Wisconsin’s Governor signed EO 195, creating the Green Ribbon Commission on Clean Energy and Environmental Innovation to advise on establishing the Green Innovation Fund, which would be...
Example Local Governments

Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund

The Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF) provides dedicated funding for climate action that advances racial and social justice. PCEF was created by local ballot measure #26-201 in Nove...
Resource Congress

Proposed Green Bank Act of 2016

The proposed Green Bank Act of 2016 (HR 5802) would have established a U.S. Green Bank that provides financial support to assist regional, state, and local institutions finance clean energy or energy ...
Resource Congress

Report, Accelerating Job Growth and an Equitable Low-Carbon Energy Transition

This January 2021 report examines the potential of a federally authorized Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator. This new nonprofit corporation, which would catalyze but not compete with private...
Resource Congress

Proposed National Green Bank Act of 2019

The proposed National Green Bank Act of 2019 would establish a U.S. Green Bank to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation projects at the state and local level by capitalizing regional, state...
Example States and State Governments

California CLEEN Center

In 2014, California Green Bank legislation was introduced by Senator Kevin De Leon, and led to Governor Brown’s creation of the new California Lending for Energy and Environmental Needs (CLEEN) Center...
Resource States and State Governments

Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act

This 900-page energy and climate bill, passed in September 2021, covers a variety of subject areas, listed below: On electricity: The bill raises the renewable portfolio standard to require 40 percent...
Resource Executive Branch

DOE report, Energy Investment Partnerships

DOE’s 2015 report, Energy Investment Partnerships: How State and Local Governments Are Engaging Private Capital to Drive Clean Energy Investment, provides a national survey of state and local Energy I...
Example States and State Governments

Hawaii Green Energy Market Securitization program

The Hawaii Green Infrastructure Authority was created by Act 211 in 2013. The Hawaii Green Energy Market Securitization (GEMS) Program was created by the Green Infrastructure Authority and other agenc...
Resource States and State Governments

NASEO report, The Role of Clean Energy Banks in Increasing Private Investment in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

The National Association of State Energy Officials and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions published a 2014 report, The Role of Clean Energy Banks in Increasing Private Investment in Electric ...
Resource Congress

Proposed National Climate Bank Legislation of 2019-20

Senator Ed Markey introduced legislation calling for a National Climate Bank (S. 2057), a nonprofit institution independent of government, designed to reduce energy costs and leave consumers and busin...
Example Local Governments

Montgomery County, MD Green Bank

The Montgomery County Council unanimously passed Bill 18-15 in 2015, which called for the creation of an independent non-profit to serve as the County’s Green Bank. The Montgomery County Green Bank wa...
Example Private Entities

Florida’s Solar and Energy Loan Fund

Florida’s Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) is a certified Community Development Financial Institution and a national non-profit, 501(c) (3) corporation. SELF provides microloans for residents who oth...
Resource Local Governments

Annapolis, MD Clean Energy Loan Program

The Annapolis Clean Energy Program finances and encourages energy efficiency projects and renewable energy projects with an electric generating capacity of not more than one hundred kilowatts. On the ...
Example States and State Governments

Connecticut Green Bank

Connecticut was the first state to establish a green bank pursuant to SB 1243, Pub. Act No. 11-80 (2011). Since its inception, the Connecticut Green Bank and its private investment partners have deplo...
Resource Congress

Proposed CLEAN Future Act (2020)

The proposed Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act (2020) is a large, economy-wide climate bill released by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Among ...
Example States and State Governments

Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank

The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank was created in 2015 through bipartisan legislation. The legislation expanded the authority of the existing Clean Water Finance Authority to include the energy sect...
Example States and State Governments

New York Green Bank

New York’s Green Bank was established in 2013 pursuant to a Public Service Commission order. Its product offerings include warehousing and aggregation credit facilities, term loans and investments, cr...
Resource Private Entities

Coalition for Green Capital

The Coalition for Green Capital is a 501c3 non-profit, and a leading expert and implementer of Green Banks, with a decade of work around the world that has led to over $2 billion of clean energy inves...
Model Law Local Governments

LPDD Model Law: Green Bank State and Local Legislation

Green banks are independent nonprofit, public, or quasi-public financial institutions that leverage public or philanthropic dollars – and government backing – to attract private capital to zero and lo...
Resource Congress

Proposed Green Bank Act of 2017

HR 2995 of 2017 would have established a U.S. Green Bank that provides financial support to assist regional, state, and local institutions finance clean energy or energy efficiency. It would have rece...