W. Va. Code § 24-2-4e - Environmental control bonds

Cite asW. Va. Code § 24-2-4e

(a) Legislative findings. -- The Legislature hereby finds and declares:

(i) That electric utilities in the state face the need to install and construct emission control equipment at existing generating facilities in the state in order to meet the requirements of existing and anticipated environmental laws and regulations and otherwise to reduce emissions from those electric generating facilities;

(ii) that the capital costs associated with the installation and construction of emission control equipment are considerable;

(iii) that the financial condition of some electric utilities may make the use of traditional utility financing mechanisms to finance the construction and installation of emission control equipment difficult or impossible and that this situation may cause such utilities to defer the installation of emission control equipment, to incur higher financing costs, to minimize or eliminate their use of high-sulfur coal mined in the State or to use other financing alternatives that are less favorable to the state and its citizens;

(iv) that the construction and installation of emission control equipment by utilities will create public health and economic benefits to the state and its citizens, including, without limitation, emissions reductions, economic development, job growth and retention and the increased use of high-sulfur coal mined in the State;

(v) that customers of electric utilities in the state have an interest in the construction and installation of emission control equipment at electric-generating facilities in the state at a lower cost than would be afforded by traditional utility financing mechanisms;

(vi) that alternative financing mechanisms exist which can result in lower costs to customers and the use of these mechanisms can ensure that only those costs associated with the construction and installation of emission control equipment at electric-generating facilities located in the state that generate electric energy for their ultimate use will be included in customer rates; and

(vii) that in order to use such alternative financing mechanisms, the Commission must be empowered to adopt a financing order that advances these goals. The Legislature, therefore, finds that it is in the interest of the state and its citizens to encourage and facilitate the use of alternative financing mechanisms that will enable certain utilities to finance the construction and installation of emission control equipment at electric-generating facilities in the state under certain conditions and to empower the Commission to review and approve alternative financing mechanisms as being consistent with the public interest, as set forth in this section.

(b) Definitions. --

As used in this section:

(1) "Adjustment mechanism" means a formula-based mechanism for making any adjustments to the amount of the environmental control charges that are necessary to correct for any over-collection or under-collection of the environmental control charges or otherwise to ensure the timely and complete payment and recovery of environmental control costs and financing costs. The adjustment mechanism is not to be used as a means to authorize the issuance of environmental control bonds in a principal amount greater, or the payment or recovery of environmental control costs in an amount greater, than that which was authorized in the financing order which established the adjustment mechanism.

(2) "Ancillary agreement" means any bond insurance policy, letter of credit, reserve account, surety bond, swap arrangement, hedging arrangement, liquidity or credit support arrangement or other similar agreement or arrangement entered into in connection with the issuance of environmental control bonds that is designed to promote the credit quality and marketability of the bonds or to mitigate the risk of an increase in interest rates.

(3) "Assignee" means any person or legal entity to which an interest in environmental control property is sold, assigned, transferred or conveyed (other than as security) and any successor to or subsequent assignee of such a person or legal entity.

(4) "Bondholder" means any holder or owner of an environmental control bond.

(5) "Environmental control activity" means any of the following:

(A) The construction, installation and placing in operation of environmental control equipment at a qualifying generating facility.

(B) The shutdown or retirement of any existing plant, facility, unit or other property at a qualifying generating facility to reduce, control or eliminate environmental emissions.

(6) "Environmental control bonds" means bonds, debentures, notes, certificates of participation, certificates of beneficial interest, certificates of ownership or other evidences of indebtedness or ownership that are issued by a qualifying utility or an assignee, the proceeds of which are used directly or indirectly to recover, finance, or refinance environmental control costs and financing costs, and that are secured by or payable from environmental control revenues.

(7) "Environmental control charge" means a nonbypassable charge paid by a customer of a qualifying utility for the recovery of environmental control costs and financing costs.

(8) "Environmental control cost" means any cost, including capitalized cost relating to regulatory assets and capitalized cost associated with design and engineering work, incurred or expected to be incurred by a qualifying utility in undertaking an environmental control activity and, with respect to an environmental control activity, includes the unrecovered value of property that is retired, together with any demolition or similar cost that exceeds the salvage value of the property. "Environmental control cost" includes preliminary expenses and investments associated with environmental control activity that are incurred prior to the issuance of a financing order and that are to be reimbursed from the proceeds of environmental control bonds. "Environmental control cost" does not include any monetary penalty, fine or forfeiture assessed against a qualifying utility by a government agency or court under a federal or state environmental statute, rule or regulation.

(9) "Environmental control equipment" means any device, equipment, structure, process, facility or technology that is designed for the primary purpose of preventing, reducing or remediating environmental emissions and that has been or is to be constructed or installed at a qualifying generating facility.

(10) "Environmental control property" means all of the following:

(A) The rights and interests of a qualifying utility or an assignee under a financing order, including the right to impose, charge, collect and receive environmental control charges in the amount necessary to provide for the full payment and recovery of all environmental control costs and financing costs determined to be recoverable in the financing order and to obtain adjustments to the charges as provided in this section and any interest in the rights and interests.

(B) All revenues, receipts, collections, rights to payment, payments, moneys, claims or other proceeds arising from the rights and interests specified in paragraph (A) of this subdivision.

(11) "Environmental control revenues" means all revenues, receipts, collections, payments, moneys, claims or other proceeds arising from environmental control property.

(12) "Environmental emissions" means the discharge or release of emissions from electric generating facilities into the air, land or waters of the state.

(13) "Equity ratio" means, as of any given time of determination, the common equity of a qualifying utility as calculated pursuant to the uniform system of accounts required to be used in the filings of the qualifying utility with the federal Energy Regulatory Commission. "Equity ratio" shall be calculated excluding the effect of the issuance of environmental control bonds or the write down of discontinued operations.

(14) "Financing cost" means the costs to issue, service, repay, or refinance environmental control bonds, whether incurred or paid upon issuance of the bonds or over the life of the bonds, and approved for recovery by the Commission in a financing order. "Financing cost" may include any of the following:

(A) Principal, interest and redemption premiums that are payable on environmental control bonds.

(B) Any payment required under an ancillary agreement and any amount required to fund or replenish a reserve account or other account established under any indenture, ancillary agreement or other financing document relating to the environmental control bonds.

(C) The cost of retiring or refunding any existing debt and equity securities of a qualifying utility in connection with the issuance of environmental control bonds, but only to the extent the securities were issued for the purpose of financing environmental control costs.

(D) Any costs incurred by or on behalf of or allocated to a qualifying utility to obtain modifications of or amendments to any indenture, financing agreement, security agreement or similar agreement or instrument relating to any existing secured or unsecured obligation of a qualifying utility or an affiliate of a qualifying utility, or any costs incurred by or allocated to a qualifying utility to obtain any consent, release, waiver or approval from any holder of such an obligation, that are necessary to be incurred to permit a qualifying utility to issue or cause the issuance of environmental control bonds.

(E) Any taxes, franchise fees or license fees imposed on environmental control revenues.

(F) Any cost related to issuing and servicing environmental control bonds or the application for a financing order, including, without limitation, servicing fees and expenses, trustee fees and expenses, legal fees and expenses, administrative fees, placement fees, capitalized interest, rating agency fees and any other related cost that is approved for recovery in the financing order.

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