United States Environmental Protection k Agency xvEPA State Incentives for Achieving Clean and Renewable Energy Development on Contaminated Lands Virginia _J The development of clean and renewable energy on formerly used land offers many economic and environmental benefits. Combining clean and renewable energy and contaminated land cleanup incentives can allow investors and communities to create economically viable clean and renewable energy redevelopment projects. This document provides information about incentives in your state that can be leveraged for clean and renewable energy and development of contaminated land. Incentives for Clean and Renewable Energy Funding (grants, loans, bonds, etc.) Solar Manufacturing Incentive Grant (SMIG) Program www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/Alternative_Fuels/solar.shtml Offers up to $4.5 million per year to encourage the production of photovoltaic panels sold in a calendar year, with a maximum of 6 MW. New manufacturers that meet certain production and other criteria are eligible to receive annual incentive grants for six years. Tax Incentives (abatements, deductions, credits, etc.) Local Option Property Tax Exemption for Solar www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/Alternative_Fuels/solar.shtml Allows any county, city, or town to exempt or partially exempt solar energy equipment or recycling equipment from local property taxes. Residential, commercial, or industrial property is eligible. Property tax exemption amount and maximum limit varies by locality. Technical Assistance and Other Incentives State-Based Anemometer Loan Program (SBALP) http://sbalp. cisat.jmu. edu/index.html Provides Virginia landowners an opportunity to quantify their wind resource with the objective to spur the development and use of wind energy throughout the state. SBALP is designed to empower landowners by spurring interest in wind energy through the borrowing of meteorological towers and encouraging wind development. Net Metering www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/Alternative_Fuels/netmetering.shtml Applies to residential generating systems up to 10 kW in capacity and non- residential systems up to 500 kW in capacity. Net metering is available on a first-come, first-served basis until the rated generating capacity owned and operated by customer-generators reaches 1 % of an electric distribution company's adjusted Virginia peak-load forecast for the previous year. Quick Facts Public Benefit Fund (PBF) Yes D No 0 Renewable Portfolio Goal (Voluntary) Yes 0 No D 12% by 2022 Net Metering Yes 0 No D Interconnection Standards Yes 0 No D Electric Power Industry Generation by Primary Energy Source (EIA, 2006) Petroleum-Fired 1.1% Hydroelectric 1.8% Natural Gas-Fired 9.9% Other Renewables 3.4% Coal-Fired 46.9% Other 0.7% Nuclear 37.8% Pumped Storage -1.6% Points of Contact SMIG Program, Local Option Property Tax Exemption for Solar, Net Metering Ken Jurman, ken.jurman@dmme.virginia.gov, (804) 692-3222 SBALP Patrick Wilson, wilsonpr@jmu.edu, (540) 568-8754 Information current as of November 2008; please refer to www.dsireusa.org and the state Web sites provided, or contact the points of contact identified above for more up to date information. Virginia Incentives for Clean and Renewable Energy - Page ' ------- Incentives for Development of Contaminated Land Funding (grants, loans, bonds, etc.) Virginia Pooled Financing Program www. virginiaresources. org/pooledfinancing. shtml Provides funding for brownfields remediation projects for localities and governmental authorities across the Commonwealth. Benefits include "AA/AAA" interest rates, custom-tailored loans, shared issuance costs, no bond insurance premiums, and loan terms of up to 30 years. Brownfield Remediation Loan Program www.deq.state.va.us/cap/brwnguid.html Provides a source of low-interest loan financing to encourage the cleanup and reuse of contaminated properties. State remediation loans range from $10,000 to $1,000,0000 per site with various loan term options. To be eligible for funds, properties must suffer some type of water quality contamination. Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund Program www. deq. state.va. us/cap/ Reduces interest rates for local governments for projects that improve water quality or prevent future problems. The scope of CWRLF activity now includes low-interest loans for publicly owned wastewater treatment facilities, as well as, brownfield remediation and open space preservation related to water quality issues. Benefits include: below-market interest rates, no bond issuance costs, and payment waiver during construction. Petroleum Storage Tank Fund www. deq. Virginia, gov/tanks/reimbrs. html Provides reimbursement up to $1 million per release to eligible petroleum tank owners/operators for taking corrective actions and for third party liability costs associated with the investigation and cleanup of sites impacted by leaking underground storage tanks. The fund also provides reimbursement of corrective action costs (but not third party liability costs) for leaks from aboveground storage tanks and heating oil tanks. Enterprise Zone Program www.dhcd.virginia.gov/CommunityDevelopmentRevitalization/Virginia_Ent erprise_Zones.htm Provides state and local incentives to businesses that invest and create jobs within Virginia's enterprise zones, which are located throughout the state. Under this program two grant-based incentives are available: 1) Job Creation Grants, and 2) Real Property Investment Grants. Real Property Investment Grants are capped at $125,000 per building for investments less than $5 million, and $250,000 for investments of $5 million or more. Tax Incentives (abatements, credits, etc.) Environmental Restoration Sites www.deq.state.va.us/vrp/tax.html Defines environmental restoration sites holding Certificates of Completion (COCs) as a separate class of property and allows local governments to adopt an ordinance partially or fully exempting that class from taxation. Limitations on Liability Voluntary Remediation Program - Certification of Satisfactory Completion of Remediation www. deq. state, va. usA/rp/ Issues a "certification of satisfactory completion of remediation" when remediation is satisfactorily completed. This certification provides assurance that the remediated site will not later become the subject of a VA Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) enforcement action unless new issues are discovered. Quick Facts Limitations on Liability Yes 0 No D Number of State-Tracked Contaminated Properties: 300 Includes Voluntary Remediation Program sites that are planned or have been issued COCs Number of EPA CERCLIS Sites: 254 Sites identified for potential investigation under the federal Superfund Program Number of EPA Brownfields Properties: 115 Properties being funded or addressed under the EPA Brownfields Program There may be some overlap among the categories listed and sites listed may not represent all potentially contaminated sites in Virginia. Points of Contact Virginia Pooled Financing Program, Virginia Resources Authority Sheryl D. Bailey, sbailey@virginiaresources.org, (804-644-3100) Department of Environmental Quality Brownfield Remediation Loan Program, Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund Program, Walter A. Gills, wagills@deq.virginia.gov, (804) 698-4133 Environmental Restoration Sites, Voluntary Remediation Program - Certification of Satisfactory Completion of Remediation Kevin Greene, klgreene@deq.virginia.gov, (804) 698-4236 Petroleum Storage Tank Fund Department of Environmental Quality Office of Spill Response and Remediation, Renee Hooper, rthooper@deq.virginia.gov, 804-698-4018 Enterprise Zone Program Louellen Brumgard, Louellen.Brumgard@dhcd.virginia.gov, (804)371-7000 Information current as of November 2008; please refer to www.epa.gov/brownfields/pubs/st_res_prog_report.htm and the state Web sites provided, or contact the points of contact identified above for more up to date information. Virginia Incentives for Development of Contaminated Land - Page 2 ------- |