An Act concerning offshore wind energy and amending P.L.2010, c.57.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 6 of P.L.2010, c.57 (C.34:1B-209.4) is amended to read as follows:

6. a. (1) A business, upon application to and approval from the authority, shall be allowed a credit of 100 percent of its capital investment, made after the effective date of P.L.2010, c.57 (C.48:3-87.1 et al.) but prior to its submission of documentation pursuant to subsection c. of this section, in a qualified wind energy facility located within an eligible wind energy zone, pursuant to the restrictions and requirements of this section. To be eligible for any tax credits authorized under this section, a business shall demonstrate to the authority, at the time of application, that the State's financial support of the proposed capital investment in a qualified wind energy facility will yield a net positive benefit to the State. The value of all credits approved by the authority pursuant to this section may be up to $100,000,000, except as may be increased by the authority as set forth below; provided, however, that the combined value of all credits approved by the authority pursuant to P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.), P.L.2009, c.90 (C.52:27D-489a et al.), and P.L.2010, c.57 (C.48:3-87.1 et al.) shall not exceed $1,750,000,000. The authority shall monitor application and allocation activity under P.L.2007, c.346 after taking into account the allocation under P.L.2007, c.346 and if sufficient credits are available to those qualified business facilities for which applications have been filed or for which applications are reasonably anticipated, and if the chief executive officer judges certain qualified offshore wind projects to be meritorious, the aforementioned cap may, in the discretion of the chief executive officer, be exceeded for allocation to qualified wind energy facilities in such amounts as the chief executive officer deems reasonable, justified and appropriate.

(2) (a) A business, other than a tenant eligible pursuant to subparagraph (b) of this paragraph, shall make or acquire capital investments totaling not less than $50,000,000 in a qualified wind energy facility, at which the business, including tenants at the qualified wind energy facility, shall employ at least 300 new, full-time employees, to be eligible for a credit under this section. A business that acquires a qualified wind energy facility after the effective date of P.L.2010, c.57 (C.48:3-87.1 et al.) shall also be deemed to have acquired the capital investment made or acquired by the seller.

(b) A business that is a tenant in the qualified wind energy facility, the owner of which has made or acquired capital investments in the facility totaling more than $50,000,000, shall occupy a leased area of the qualified wind energy facility that represents at least $17,500,000 of the capital investment in the qualified wind energy facility at which at least 300 new, full-time employees in the aggregate are employed, to be eligible for a credit under this section. The amount of capital investment in a facility that a leased area represents shall be equal to that percentage of the owner's total capital investment in the facility that the percentage of net leasable area leased by the tenant is of the total net leasable area of the qualified business facility. Capital investments made by a tenant shall be deemed to be included in the calculation of the capital investment made or acquired by the owner, but only to the extent necessary to meet the owner's minimum capital investment of $50,000,000. Capital investments made by a tenant and not allocated to meet the owner's minimum capital investment threshold of $50,000,000 shall be added to the amount of capital investment represented by the tenant's leased area in the qualified wind energy facility.

(c) The calculation of the number of new, full-time employees required pursuant to subparagraphs (a) and (b) of this paragraph may include the number of new, full-time positions resulting from an equipment supply coordination agreement with equipment manufacturers, suppliers, installers and operators associated with the supply chain required to support the qualified wind energy facility.

For the purposes of this paragraph, "full time employee" shall not include an employee who is a resident of another state and whose income is not subject to the "New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act," N.J.S.54A:1-1 et seq., unless that state has entered into a reciprocity agreement with the State of New Jersey, provided that any employee whose work is provided pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement with the port district in the wind energy zone may be included.

(3) A business shall not be allowed a tax credit pursuant to this section if the business participates in a business employment incentive grant relating to the same capital and employees that qualify the business for this credit, or if the business receives assistance pursuant to the "Business Retention and Relocation Assistance Act," P.L.1996, c.25 (C.34:1B-112 et seq.). A business that is allowed a tax credit under this section shall not be eligible for incentives authorized pursuant to the "Municipal Rehabilitation and Economic Recovery Act," P.L.2002, c.43 (C.52:27BBB-1 et al.).

(4) Full-time employment for an accounting or privilege period shall be determined as the average of the monthly full-time employment for the period.

b. A business shall apply for the credit [within five years after the effective date of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.)] prior to July 1, 2014 , and a business shall submit its documentation for approval of its credit amount [within eight years after the effective date of P.L.2007, c.346] no later than July 28, 2017 .

c. The credit allowed pursuant to this section shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of subsection c. of section 3 of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-209) and section 33 of P.L.2009, c.90 (C.34:1B-209.1), except that all references therein to "qualified business facility" shall be deemed to refer to "qualified wind energy facility," as that term is defined in subsection f. of this section.

d. The amount of the credit allowed pursuant to this section shall, except as otherwise provided, be equal to the capital investment made by the business, or the capital investment represented by the business' leased area, and shall be taken over a 10-year period, at the rate of one-tenth of the total amount of the business' credit for each tax accounting or privilege period of the business, beginning with the tax period in which the business is first approved by the authority as having met the investment capital and employment qualifications, subject to any disqualification as determined by annual review by the authority. In conducting its annual review, the authority may require a business to submit any information determined by the authority to be necessary and relevant to its review. The credit amount for any tax period ending after [the date eight years after the effective date of P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.)] July 28, 2017 during which the documentation of a business' credit amount remains unapproved shall be forfeited, although credit amounts for the remainder of the years of the 10-year credit period shall remain available. The amount of the credit allowed for a tax period to a business that is a tenant in a qualified wind energy facility shall not exceed the business' total lease payments for occupancy of the qualified wind energy facility for the tax period.

e. The authority shall adopt rules in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) as are necessary to implement this section, including but not limited to: examples of and the determination of capital investment; nature of businesses and employment positions constituting and participating in an equipment supply coordination agreement; determination of the types of businesses that may be eligible and expenses that may constitute capital improvements; promulgation of procedures and forms necessary to apply for a credit; and provisions for applicants to be charged an initial application fee, and ongoing service fees, to cover the administrative costs related to the credit.

The rules established by the authority pursuant to this subsection shall be effective immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law and shall be effective for a period not to exceed 12 months and may, thereafter, be amended, adopted or readopted in accordance with the provisions of the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).

f. As used in this section: the terms "authority," "business," and "capital investment" shall have the same meanings as defined in section 2 of the "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act," P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-208), except that all references therein to "qualified business facility" shall be deemed to refer to "qualified wind energy facility" as defined in this subsection.

In addition, as used in this section:

"Equipment supply coordination agreement" means an agreement between a business and equipment manufacturer, supplier, installer, and operator that supports a qualified offshore wind project, or other wind energy project as determined by the authority, and that indicates the number of new, full-time jobs to be created by the agreement participants towards the employment requirement as set forth in paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section.

"Qualified offshore wind project" means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-51).

"Qualified wind energy facility" means any building, complex of buildings, or structural components of buildings, including water access infrastructure, and all machinery and equipment used in the manufacturing, assembly, development or administration of component parts that support the development and operation of a qualified offshore wind project, or other wind energy project as determined by the authority, and that are located in a wind energy zone.

"Wind energy zone" means property located in New Jersey within the port district of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or the South Jersey Port District established pursuant to "The South Jersey Port Corporation Act," P.L.1968, c.60 (C.12:11A-1 et seq.).

(cf: P.L.2012, c.35, s.3)

2. Section 4 of P.L.2010, c.57 (C.48:3-87.2) is amended to read as follows:

4. The board may approve, as a demonstration project , subject to the project obtaining the necessary permits, approvals, and authorizations from the Department of Environmental Protection, a qualified wind energy project located in territorial waters offshore of a municipality in which casino gaming is authorized, and authorize offshore wind renewable energy certificates for that project. Any such project shall be a nominal 20 megawatts and no more than 25 megawatts in nameplate capacity and comply with the requirements set forth in section 3 of P.L.2010, c.57 (C.48:3-87.1).

(cf: P.L.2010, c.57, s.4)

3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill amends the law commonly referred to as the "Offshore Wind Economic Development Act," P.L.2010, c.57 (C.48:3-87.1 et al.), which is concerned with the development of offshore wind projects and providing a tax credit for qualified wind energy facilities located in a wind energy zone.

Specifically, this bill:

1) revises the timeframes for a business to apply for the tax credit for a qualified wind energy facility in a wind energy zone provided pursuant to the "Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit Act," P.L.2007, c.346 (C.34:1B-207 et seq.), by extending the application deadline to July 1, 2014 and extending the deadline for the submittal of documentation until July 28, 2017, in order to be consistent with the timeframes established for the Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit pursuant to P.L.2012, c.35;

2) amends the definition of "wind energy zone" to include the port district of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This addition would allow tax credits for the development of qualified wind energy facilities in the port district of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The current law defines "wind energy zone" as property located in the South Jersey Port District; and

3) provides that the BPU may approve a qualified offshore wind project located offshore of a municipality in which casino gaming is authorized as a demonstration project.