A bill that would create a new Center for Excellence in geothermal development at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and would create two new funds to support the development of geothermal resources passed the Senate on a 37-0 vote on Thursday night.
HB 365 is the same as SB 8, which previously passed the Senate but has not passed the House of Representatives.
Funding for the initiatives was included in the budget bill, HB 2.
An amendment to HB 365 was made on the Senate floor. Because of the amendment, the bill now heads to the House for concurrence.
Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, introduced a floor amendment on Thursday that makes it clear that money in the funds would be subject to legislative appropriation.
Ortiz y Pino also sponsored SB 8.