HB 1319 -- Electric Generating Facilities

Co-Sponsors:  Burton, Mays (50)

This bill establishes an income tax credit for installing air
pollution control devices on new or existing coal-fired electric
generating plants.  The credit for 50% of the purchase price of
the equipment, up to a maximum of $10 million, may be carried
back three years, forward five years, or sold.  The program will
be administered by the Department of Economic Development.

The bill also requires the State Tax Commission to assess all
electric generating equipment owned by electric corporations and
placed into service on or after January 1, 2004.  Half of the
value will be distributed to the county where the generating
equipment is located, and half will be distributed to contiguous
counties according to population.

Further, the bill prohibits most rules of the Department of
Natural Resources from being stricter than federal requirements
if they pertain to solid waste, hazardous waste, underground
storage tanks, and water pollution at coal-fired electric
generating plants built on or after August 28, 2002.  In cases
where there are either insufficient or no federal guidelines, the
department may develop rules if there is substantial evidence
that an activity will have an adverse impact on public health or
the environment.

The Department of Economic Development will establish a task
force to compare coal and natural gas as fuels used to generate
electricity.  The task force will also develop educational
materials on environmental issues related to electric generation,
including the impacts of using natural gas, coal, nuclear energy,
and alternative fuels.  The Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education will disseminate the materials to students.
The Department of Natural Resources Energy Center will establish
a repository for technical information on clean coal technology.

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated October 11, 2002 at 9:00 am