SB492 SFAT #1 Tarr 3-27

Bonasso  7913

Senator Tarr moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. Com. Sub. for Senate Bill 492—A Bill to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §22-32-1, §22-32-2, §22-32-3, §22-32-4, §22-32-5, §22-32-6, and §22-32-7, all relating generally to establishing and implementing a program to decommission and reclaim wind and solar electrical generation facilities upon closure; making legislative findings; stating legislative purpose; providing a short title; defining terms; requiring the owners of wind generation facilities and solar generation facilities to notify and provide certain information to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), including dates when operations began and plans with cost estimates for decommissioning facilities; establishing fees for new and modified applications; requiring DEP to determine and assess a reclamation bond based on a facility’s total disturbed acreage; establishing a minimum bond value; requiring the owners of said facilities to submit bonds payable to the state in a form and in a sum determined by the DEP, conditioned on the satisfactory decommissioning; providing that owners of said facilities may enter into alternative reclamation agreements after approval by the DEP; providing that the DEP may modify said plans after proper notification and appeals; providing exemptions from bond requirements for facilities with nameplate capacities of less than 0.5 megawatts and facilities operated by regulated public utilities who can successfully demonstrate to the Public Service Commission and DEP financial integrity and long-term stability; providing for administrative penalties for failure to submit decommissioning bonds; providing appellate rights to the Environmental Quality Board; providing transfer of ownership provisions; providing for amended plans for allowing reductions in bond amounts; providing that bond submission does not absolve owners from complying with other applicable regulations and requirements; establishing a Wind and Solar Decommissioning Account within the State Treasury into which fees, assessed penalties, and accrued interest must be paid and held; providing that the account may only be used by the DEP to implement this article and adopted rules; providing that DEP shall administer this act using existing resources and the account; requiring the DEP to maintain and hold bonds or other surety received; providing for the release of bonds after the DEP is satisfied property has been properly decommissioned in accordance with the plan; providing for bond forfeiture when a facility is not properly decommissioned, if the deficiencies are not rectified; providing that the Office of Environmental Remediation or a private entity by contract may decommission facilities; providing that DEP may file suit to enforce permit and plan conditions and to recoup costs of reclamation; authorizing rulemaking; and providing effective dates.

Adopted

Rejected