Or. Admin. Code § 345-024-0710

Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 12, December 1, 2024

Section 345-024-0710 - Monetary Path Payment Requirement

(1) If the applicant elects to meet the applicable carbon dioxide emissions standard in whole or in part under OAR 345-024-0560(3), OAR 345-024-0600(3) or OAR 345-024-0630(2), (4) and (5), the applicant shall provide a bond or letter of credit in a form reasonably acceptable to the Council to ensure the payment of the offset funds and the additional funds required under section (4) of this rule. The applicant shall provide such security by the date specified in the site certificate. In the site certificate, the Council shall specify a date no later than the commencement of construction of the facility for base load gas plants and non-base load power plants. For nongenerating facilities, the Council shall specify a date no later than the commencement of construction of the facility for providing the initial bond or letter of credit, and the Council shall specify conditions for providing subsequent incremental payments to meeting the monetary path payment requirement. The certificate holder for a nongenerating facility must meet its incremental monetary path payment requirements before exhausting its offset credit account, as described in OAR 345-024-0630(4). In no case shall the applicant diminish the bond or letter of credit or receive a refund from a qualified organization based on the calculations of the facility's emissions on a new and clean basis for a fossil-fueled power plant or any other measure for a nongenerating energy facility. A qualified organization shall not refund any offset funds to a certificate holder based on the operation or performance of a non-base load power plant during any five-year period reported under OAR 345-024-0590(5) or, for a nongenerating facility, on any offset credits the certificate holder provided under OAR 345-024-0620(5).

(2) In the site certificate, the Council shall require the certificate holder to disburse the offset funds and other funds required as specified in sections (3) and (4), unless the Council finds that no qualified organization exists, in which case the Council shall require the certificate holder to disburse the offset funds as specified in OAR 345-024-0720(2).

(3) When the certificate holder receives written notice from the qualified organization certifying that the qualified organization is contractually obligated to pay any funds to implement offsets using the offset funds, the certificate holder shall make the requested amount available to the qualified organization unless the total of the amount requested and any amounts previously requested exceeds the offset funds, in which case the certificate holder shall make available only the remaining amount of the offset funds. The qualified organization shall use at least 80 percent of the offset funds for contracts to implement offsets. The qualified organization shall assess offsets for their potential to qualify in, generate credits in or reduce obligations in other regulatory settings. The qualified organization may use up to 20 percent of the offset funds for monitoring, evaluation, administration and enforcement of contracts to implement offsets.

(4) At the request of the qualified organization and in addition to the offset funds, the certificate holder shall pay the qualified organization an amount equal to 10 percent of the first $500,000 of the offset funds and 4.286 percent of any offset funds in excess of $500,000. The certificate holder for a base load gas plant shall pay not less than $50,000, unless the Council specifies a lesser amount in the site certificate. In the site certificate, the Council may specify a minimum amount that other fossil-fueled power plants or nongenerating energy facilities must pay. This payment compensates the qualified organization for its costs of selecting offsets and contracting for the implementation of offsets.

(5) Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, a certificate holder subject to this rule has no obligation with regard to offsets, the offset funds or the funds required by section (4) other than to make available to the qualified organization the total amount required under OAR 345-024-0560(3), OAR 345-024-0600(3) and (4), OAR 345-024-0630(2), (4) and (5), and section (4) of this rule. The Council shall not base a revocation of the site certificate or any other enforcement action with respect to the certificate holder on any nonperformance, negligence or misconduct by the qualified organization.

(6) For monetary path payments a certificate holder must make before beginning construction, the certificate holder shall make all offset fund payments and all payments required by section (4) to the qualifying organization in real dollars of the year in which the Council issues a final order applying the carbon dioxide emissions standard to the energy facility. In the site certificate, the Council shall specify an appropriate inflation index for calculating real dollars. For a non-base load power plant, if a certificate holder must make a payment as described in OAR 345-024-0600(4), the certificate holder shall make a payment that has the same present value per ton of carbon dioxide as the monetary path offset rate of the year in which the Council issued the final order applying the carbon dioxide standard. In the site certificate, the Council shall specify the methodology for calculating present value. If the certificate holder of a nongenerating facility must make payments as described in OAR 345-024-0630(4) and (5), the Council shall specify in the site certificate the method for calculating the rate for the dollar value per ton of carbon dioxide required according to subsection (a) or (b) below:

(a) Unless the applicant and the Council agree to the methodology in subsection (b), the certificate holder shall make payments that have the same present value per ton of carbon dioxide as the monetary path offset rate of the year in which the Council issued the final order applying the carbon dioxide standard. The Council shall set an appropriate discount rate for calculating the present value, using the cost of capital most recently approved by a state utility regulatory commission for that utility or a similar utility as a guide; or

(b) If the applicant requests and the Council agrees, the certificate holder shall make payments at the monetary path offset rate in effect on the date the certificate holder makes the payment.

Or. Admin. Code § 345-024-0710

EFSC 2-1999, f. & cert. ef. 4-14-99; EFSC 1-2002, f. & cert. ef. 4-3-02; EFSC 1-2012, f. & cert. ef. 5-15-12

Stat. Auth.: ORS 469.470

Stats. Implemented: ORS 469.501 & 469.503