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The Colorado Division of Property Taxation will hold an important open public meeting Thursday, January 14, 2010, to discuss the "tax treatment of transmission lines".  Details of the proposed options will be posted on the Division’s website under the "state assessed tab."  In the notice provided by the Division, the agenda for the meeting…

The ZINO Society, a Seattle-based angel investment group, announced last week that its annual “ZINO Green Investment Forum” would be held on March 4, 2010, at the McKinstry Innovation Center in Seattle.   Up to fifteen early-stage companies in “green tech, clean tech, and sustainable products or services” will be selected by the ZINO Green screening board to…

United State District Court Judge Roger W. Titus recently issued an injunction halting the construction of the Beech Ridge wind project in Greenbrier County, West Virginia to protect the Indiana Bat, a species listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”). The ruling is the first of its kind in the law developing around …

On December 7, 2009, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the issuance of a final rule amending the October, 2007 Final Regulations implementing the Loan Guarantee Program under Section 1703 of Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (the "Section 1703 Program").  The amendments implemented through the final rule were first identified in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Opportunity for Comment  issued by the Department of Energy ("DOE") on August 7, 2009.  The comment period for the proposed amendments ended on September 22, 2009; the comments received by the DOE from the industry and other interested parties were largely supportive of the proposed amendments.

In a nutshell, the amendments to the regulations outlined in the final rule are designed to:

  • provide flexibility in the determination of an appropriate collateral package to secure the guaranteed loan obligations;
  • eliminate the requirement that the Secretary receive a first priority lien on all project assets as a condition for obtaining the loan guarantee;
  • facilitate collateral sharing and related intercreditor arrangements with other project lenders; and
  • provide a more workable interpretation of certain statutory provisions regarding DOE’s treatment of collateral that is more consistent with the intent and purposes of Title XVII.

Continue Reading U.S. Department of Energy Announces Final Rule Amending Regulations for Loan Guarantee Program

 

On December 2, House Ways & Means Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member Camp introduced a tax technical corrections bill (H.R. 4169).  We will likely see an identical version introduced in the Senate very soon.

Included among the technicals are changes to the Grant in Lieu of ITC under section 1603 of ARRA.  The most

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Stoel Rives partner Tom Wood reports:

Minutes ago EPA announced its long awaited “endangerment” and “cause or contribute” findings in relation to six key greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride.  While technically this announcement is of limited significance (applying only to motor vehicle emissions), the policy import of…

In an earlier blog post, Debra Frimerman reported that the U.S. Department of Energy was seeking applications for grants to help promote the construction and operation of pilot, demonstration, and commercial scale integrated biorefinery projects. Today, DOE announced the selection of 19 projects to receive up to $564 million in grant money authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.Continue Reading Show me the Money: $564 Million Awarded to Integrated Biorefinery Projects

On October 12, 2009, the Public Service Commission of Utah ("PSC") joined the ranks of several other states in the west, including  Oregon, when it established a docket to investigate whether, and the extent to which, certain third-party arrangements for renewable energy generation are subject to the PSC’s jurisdiction.   www.psc.utah.gov/utilities/misc/miscindx/0999912indx.html,  Pursuant to the notice, the…

As a proud Exhibit Hall sponsor of E3, the Midwest’s premier energy, economic and environmental conference, Stoel Rives LLP would like to encourage you to attend this annual event. Hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment, E3 will focus this year on the intersection of innovative technologies and policies…