42 USC 7651o – Contingency guarantee, auctions, reserve
(a) Definitions
For purposes of this section—
(1) The term “independent power producer” means any person who owns or operates, in whole or in part, one or more new independent power production facilities.
(2) The term “new independent power production facility” means a facility that—
(A) is used for the generation of electric energy, 80 percent or more of which is sold at wholesale;
(B) is nonrecourse project-financed (as such term is defined by the Secretary of Energy within 3 months of November 15, 1990);
(C) does not generate electric energy sold to any affiliate (as defined in section 79b(a)(11) 1 of title 15) of the facility’s owner or operator unless the owner or operator of the facility demonstrates that it cannot obtain allowances from the affiliate; and
(D) is a new unit required to hold allowances under this subchapter.
(3) The term “required allowances” means the allowances required to operate such unit for so much of the unit’s useful life as occurs after January 1, 2000.
(b) Special reserve of allowances
Terms Used In 42 USC 7651o
- Administrator: means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. See 42 USC 7602
- affected source: means a source that includes one or more affected units. See 42 USC 7651a
- affected unit: means a unit that is subject to emission reduction requirements or limitations under this subchapter. See 42 USC 7651a
- allowance: means an authorization, allocated to an affected unit by the Administrator under this subchapter, to emit, during or after a specified calendar year, one ton of sulfur dioxide. See 42 USC 7651a
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
- new unit: means a unit that commences commercial operation on or after November 15, 1990. See 42 USC 7651a
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- person: includes an individual, corporation, partnership, association, State, municipality, political subdivision of a State, and any agency, department, or instrumentality of the United States and any officer, agent, or employee thereof. See 42 USC 7602
- Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
- reserve: means any bank of allowances established by the Administrator under this subchapter. See 42 USC 7651a
- unit: means a fossil fuel-fired combustion device. See 42 USC 7651a
Within 36 months after November 15, 1990, the Administrator shall promulgate regulations establishing a Special Allowance Reserve containing allowances to be sold under this section. For purposes of establishing the Special Allowance Reserve, the Administrator shall withhold—
(1) 2.8 percent of the allocation of allowances for each year from 1995 through 1999 inclusive; and
(2) 2.8 percent of the basic Phase II allowance allocation of allowances for each year beginning in the year 2000
which would (but for this subsection) be issued for each affected unit at an affected source. The Administrator shall record such withholding for purposes of transferring the proceeds of the allowance sales under this subsection. The allowances so withheld shall be deposited in the Reserve under this section.
(c) Direct sale at $1,500 per ton
(1) Subaccount for direct sales
In accordance with regulations under this section, the Administrator shall establish a Direct Sale Subaccount in the Special Allowance Reserve established under this section. The Direct Sale Subaccount shall contain allowances in the amount of 50,000 tons per year for each year beginning in the year 2000.
(2) Sales
Allowances in the subaccount shall be offered for direct sale to any person at the times and in the amounts specified in table 1 at a price of $1,500 per allowance, adjusted by the Consumer Price Index in the same manner as provided in paragraph (3). Requests to purchase allowances from the Direct Sale Subaccount established under paragraph (1) shall be approved in the order of receipt until no allowances remain in such subaccount, except that an opportunity to purchase such allowances shall be provided to the independent power producers referred to in this subsection before such allowances are offered to any other person. Each applicant shall be required to pay 50 percent of the total purchase price of the allowances within 6 months after the approval of the request to purchase. The remainder shall be paid on or before the transfer of the allowances.
| Year of Sale | Spot Sale (same year) | Advance Sale |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-1999 | 25,000 | |
| 2000 and after | 25,000 | 25,000 |
Allowances sold in the spot sale in any year are allowances which may only be used in that year (unless banked for use in a later year). Allowances sold in the advance sale in any year are allowances which may only be used in the 7th year after the year in which they are first offered for sale (unless banked for use in a later year).
(3) Entitlement to written guarantee
Any independent power producer that submits an application to the Administrator establishing that such independent power producer—
(A) proposes to construct a new independent power production facility for which allowances are required under this subchapter;
(B) will apply for financing to construct such facility after January 1, 1990, and before the date of the first auction under this section;
(C) has submitted to each owner or operator of an affected unit listed in table A (in section 7651c of this title) a written offer to purchase the required allowances for $750 per ton; and
(D) has not received (within 180 days after submitting offers to purchase under subparagraph (C)) an acceptance of the offer to purchase the required allowances,
shall, within 30 days after submission of such application, be entitled to receive the Administrator’s written guarantee (subject to the eligibility requirements set forth in paragraph (4)) that such required allowances will be made available for purchase from the Direct Sale Subaccount established under this subsection and at a guaranteed price. The guaranteed price at which such allowances shall be made available for purchase shall be $1,500 per ton, adjusted by the percentage, if any, by which the Consumer Price Index (as determined under section 7661a(b)(3)(B)(v) of this title) for the year in which the allowance is purchased exceeds the Consumer Price Index for the calendar year 1990.
(4) Eligibility requirements
The guarantee issued by the Administrator under paragraph (3) shall be subject to a demonstration by the independent power producer, satisfactory to the Administrator, that—
(A) the independent power producer has—
(i) made good faith efforts to purchase the required allowances from the owners or operators of affected units to which allowances will be allocated, including efforts to purchase at annual auctions under this section, and from industrial sources that have elected to become affected units pursuant to section 7651i of this title; and
(ii) such bids and efforts were unsuccessful in obtaining the required allowances; and
(B) the independent power producer will continue to make good faith efforts to purchase the required allowances from the owners or operators of affected units and from industrial sources.
(5) Issuance of guaranteed allowances from Direct Sale Subaccount under this section
From the allowances available in the Direct Sale Subaccount established under this subsection, upon payment of the guaranteed price, the Administrator shall issue to any person exercising the right to purchase allowances pursuant to a guarantee under this subsection the allowances covered by such guarantee. Persons to which guarantees under this subsection have been issued shall have the opportunity to purchase allowances pursuant to such guarantee from such subaccount before the allowances in such reserve are offered for sale to any other person.
(6) Proceeds
Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31 or any other provision of law, the Administrator shall require that the proceeds of any sale under this subsection be transferred, within 90 days after the sale, without charge, on a pro rata basis to the owners or operators of the affected units from whom the allowances were withheld under subsection (b) and that any unsold allowances be transferred to the Subaccount for Auction Sales established under subsection (d). No proceeds of any sale under this subsection shall be held by any officer or employee of the United States or treated for any purpose as revenue to the United States or to the Administrator.
(7) Termination of subaccount
If the Administrator determines that, during any period of 2 consecutive calendar years, less than 20 percent of the allowances available in the subaccount for direct sales established under this subsection have been purchased under this paragraph, the Administrator shall terminate the subaccount and transfer such allowances to the Auction Subaccount under subsection (d).
(d) Auction sales
(1) Subaccount for auctions
The Administrator shall establish an Auction Subaccount in the Special Reserve established under this section. The Auction Subaccount shall contain allowances to be sold at auction under this section in the amount of 150,000 tons per year for each year from 1995 through 1999, inclusive and 250,000 tons per year for each year beginning in the calendar year 2000.
(2) Annual auctions
Commencing in 1993 and in each year thereafter, the Administrator shall conduct auctions at which the allowances referred to in paragraph (1) shall be offered for sale in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, within 12 months of November 15, 1990. The allowances referred to in paragraph (1) shall be offered for sale at auction in the amounts specified in table 2. The auction shall be open to any person. A person wishing to bid for such allowances shall submit (by a date set by the Administrator) to the Administrator (on a sealed bid schedule provided by the Administrator) offers to purchase specified numbers of allowances at specified prices. Such regulations shall specify that the auctioned allowances shall be allocated and sold on the basis of bid price, starting with the highest-priced bid and continuing until all allowances for sale at such auction have been allocated. The regulations shall not permit that a minimum price be set for the purchase of withheld allowances. Allowances purchased at the auction may be used for any purpose and at any time after the auction, subject to the provisions of this subchapter.
| Year of Sale | Spot
Auction (same year) |
Advance Auction |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 50,000* | 100,000 |
| 1994 | 50,000* | 100,000 |
| 1995 | 50,000* | 100,000 |
| 1996 | 150,000 | 100,000 |
| 1997 | 150,000 | 100,000 |
| 1998 | 150,000 | 100,000 |
| 1999 | 150,000 | 100,000 |
| 2000 and after | 100,000 | 100,000 |
Allowances sold in the spot sale in any year are allowances which may only be used in that year (unless banked for use in a later year), except as otherwise noted. Allowances sold in the advance auction in any year are allowances which may only be used in the 7th year after the year in which they are first offered for sale (unless banked for use in a later year).
*Available for use only in 1995 (unless banked for use in a later year).
(3) Proceeds
(A) Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31 or any other provision of law, within 90 days of receipt, the Administrator shall transfer the proceeds from the auction under this section, on a pro rata basis, to the owners or operators of the affected units at an affected source from whom allowances were withheld under subsection (b). No funds transferred from a purchaser to a seller of allowances under this paragraph shall be held by any officer or employee of the United States or treated for any purpose as revenue to the United States or the Administrator.
(B) At the end of each year, any allowances offered for sale but not sold at the auction shall be returned without charge, on a pro rata basis, to the owner or operator of the affected units from whose allocation the allowances were withheld.
(4) Additional auction participants
Any person holding allowances or to whom allowances are allocated by the Administrator may submit those allowances to the Administrator to be offered for sale at auction under this subsection. The proceeds of any such sale shall be transferred at the time of sale by the purchaser to the person submitting such allowances for sale. The holder of allowances offered for sale under this paragraph may specify a minimum sale price. Any person may purchase allowances offered for auction under this paragraph. Such allowances shall be allocated and sold to purchasers on the basis of bid price after the auction under paragraph (2) is complete. No funds transferred from a purchaser to a seller of allowances under this paragraph shall be held by any officer or employee of the United States or treated for any purpose as revenue to the United States or the Administrator.
(5) Recording by EPA
The Administrator shall record and publicly report the nature, prices and results of each auction under this subsection, including the prices of successful bids, and shall record the transfers of allowances as a result of each auction in accordance with the requirements of this section. The transfer of allowances at such auction shall be recorded in accordance with the regulations promulgated by the Administrator under this subchapter.
(e) Changes in sales, auctions, and withholding
Pursuant to rulemaking after public notice and comment the Administrator may at any time after the year 1998 (in the case of advance sales or advance auctions) and 2005 (in the case of spot sales or spot auctions) decrease the number of allowances withheld and sold under this section.
(f) Termination of auctions
The Administrator may terminate the withholding of allowances and the auction sales under this section if the Administrator determines that, during any period of 3 consecutive calendar years after 2002, less than 20 percent of the allowances available in the auction subaccount have been purchased. Pursuant to regulations under this section, the Administrator may by delegation or contract provide for the conduct of sales or auctions under the Administrator’s supervision by other departments or agencies of the United States Government or by nongovernmental agencies, groups, or organizations.