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A.  Recognizing that the state of Louisiana must depend upon natural gas produced in the federal domain of the outer continental shelf as a supplement to its declining domestic supply, and recognizing that this natural gas is regulated exclusively by agencies of the federal government and is therefore outside of the regulatory jurisdiction of the state of Louisiana, and that the necessarily higher transportation and marketing costs for such natural gas results in higher fuel costs for utilities and industries within the state dependent thereon, the following tax credits, being deemed fair and in the best interest of the state, are hereby authorized.

B.  Every electric generating plant and natural gas distribution service municipally owned or regulated, or regulated by the Louisiana Public Service Commission and every direct purchaser of natural gas from the owner of the natural gas, other than an owner of natural gas regulated by a municipality or the state, for consumption only by such purchaser, shall be allowed a direct tax credit against any tax or combination of taxes, other than severance taxes, owed to the state, upon showing that fuel costs for electricity generation or natural gas distribution or consumption have increased as a direct result of increases in transportation and marketing costs of natural gas delivered from the federal domain of the outer continental shelf and upon which such entities are dependent for a portion of their supply.  Increased transportation and marketing costs shall not include increases in wellhead prices or increases attributable to inflation factors.  In the event that the increase in fuel costs exceeds the tax or combination of taxes owed to the state, every such electric generating plant, natural gas distribution service or other affected purchaser shall be issued tax warrants in amounts not to exceed in the aggregate the difference between the increase in the fuel costs and the tax or taxes owed to the state, which tax warrants may be used in the payment of any tax or combination of taxes owed to any parish, municipality, political subdivision or other taxing authority of the state.  Tax credits and warrants shall be issued annually hereunder and shall not exceed two million dollars in the aggregate.  No electric generating plant, natural gas distribution service, or other affected purchaser shall be issued tax credits or warrants totaling less than two hundred fifty dollars annually, except that increased costs totaling less than the minimum credit established herein may be carried forward and accumulated for three years from the year in which the increased costs occur in order that the applicant may utilize the tax credit authorized herein prior to the end of the prescriptive period otherwise set forth in this Title.  In the event that total increased fuel costs exceed two million dollars in the aggregate, the Secretary of the Department of Revenue shall issue tax credits and warrants based on a formula to be fixed by regulation which shall insure each qualifying applicant a proportionate share of the maximum tax credits established herein.

C.  The secretary of the Department of Revenue shall promulgate rules providing for the determination of the amount of any tax credit or tax warrant provided for herein and for administration of the provisions of this Section.

D.  The state shall have a right of recovery of tax credits granted pursuant to this Section in the event that increased transportation and marketing costs for which credits are granted hereunder are reimbursed or refunded for any reason to any entity receiving the credit.

Added by Acts 1978, No. 599, §1, eff. July 1, 1979.  Acts 1997, No. 658, §2.