(a) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may make a grant, within available appropriations, for financial assistance to any municipality which has entered into a long-term contract to deliver solid waste generated within its boundaries to a resources recovery facility on or before the date of commercial operation of such facility. The grants under this section shall be subject to the following conditions: (1) Each grant shall be based on the total number of tons of solid waste generated within the municipality which has been delivered to a resources recovery facility; (2) the amount of the grant for the first year of operation of such facility shall be twenty-five per cent of the tipping fee not to exceed ten dollars per ton and for the second year of operation, twelve per cent of the tipping fee not to exceed four dollars per ton; (3) the aggregate tonnage of solid waste eligible for reimbursement under this section shall not exceed the design capacity for such facility stated in the application for the construction permit for such facility submitted pursuant to section 22a-208a; and (4) the grant for the first year shall be made not less than twelve months after the date of commercial operation and the grant for the second year shall be made not less than twenty-four months after the date of commercial operation. The tipping fee shall be reviewed by the commissioner and shall include but not be limited to any costs associated with debt service or operation from the point the solid waste enters the system to the landfill disposal of its residual and nonprocessable components.

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(b) No grant shall be made under this section to a municipality unless the solid waste generated within such municipality is delivered to a facility that has been approved by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection for consistency with the state-wide solid waste management plan and has not less than seventy-five per cent of its design capacity committed under long-term contractual agreements on the date of commercial operation. No grant shall be made unless the municipality has executed, on or before the date of commercial operation of such facility or system, a long-term contractual agreement to participate in the facility.

(c) If two or more municipalities enter into a long-term contractual agreement to participate in the same resources recovery facility such municipalities shall designate the same agent to submit the application for a grant under this section. Any agent may assess a fee for services rendered.

(d) Each municipality that enters into a long-term contractual agreement to participate in the same facility on or before the date of commercial operation of such facility shall also enter into a joint pregrant agreement. Such agreement shall be submitted to the commissioner for his approval before a grant can be made under this section to a municipality that is a party to the agreement. A pregrant agreement shall include the following: (1) A description of the methodology to be used in determining the number of tons of solid waste generated within each municipality which have been delivered to the facility. The methodology may be determined by weigh records from the facility, hauling records, per capita estimates of waste generation or by any other method or combination of methods that produces representative figures for the amount of waste delivered to such facility from each municipality; (2) provisions designating an agent; and (3) a description of the method to be used by the agent in determining the tonnage of solid waste generated within municipal boundaries and delivered to a facility by each municipality if the aggregate tonnage of all municipalities delivering solid waste to the same facility exceeds the design capacity for the facility stated in the application for the construction permit for such facility submitted pursuant to section 22a-208a.

(e) A municipality, after notifying the commissioner in writing, may assign in writing a grant made under this section to the Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority, a regional resources recovery authority or any committee established pursuant to subsection (c) of section 22a-221. Upon notification of an assignment, the commissioner shall pay the grant to the assignee until notification in writing from the municipality that the assignment has been revoked.