ORS 315.326: Renewable energy development contributions; auction of tax credits; certification; rules.

(1) A credit against the taxes that are otherwise due under ORS chapter 316 or, if the taxpayer is a corporation, under ORS chapter 317 or 318, is allowed to a taxpayer for certified renewable energy development contributions made by the taxpayer during the tax year to the Renewable Energy Development Subaccount, established in ORS 470.805, of the Clean Energy Deployment Fund established in ORS 470.800. (2)(a) The Department of Revenue shall, in cooperation with the State Department of Energy, conduct an auction of tax credits under this section. The auction may be conducted no later than April 15 following December 31 of any tax year for which the credit is allowed. The department may conduct the auction in the manner that it determines is best suited to maximize the return to the state on the sale of tax credit certifications and shall announce a reserve bid prior to conducting the auction. The reserve amount shall be at least 95 percent of the total amount of the tax credit. Moneys necessary to reimburse the Department of Revenue for the actual costs incurred by the department in administering an auction, not to exceed 0.25 percent of auction proceeds, are continuously appropriated to the department. The Department of Revenue shall deposit net receipts from the auction required under this section in the Renewable Energy Development Subaccount, established in ORS 470.805, of the Clean Energy Deployment Fund established in ORS 470.800. Net receipts from the auction required under this section shall be used only for purposes related to renewable energy development. (b) The State Department of Energy shall adopt rules in order to achieve the following goals: (A) Subject to paragraph (a) of this subsection, generate contributions for which tax credits of $1.5 million are certified for each fiscal year; (B) Maximize income and excise tax revenues that are retained by the State of Oregon for state operations; and (C) Provide the necessary financial incentives for taxpayers to make contributions, taking into consideration the impact of granting a credit upon a taxpayer’s federal income tax liability. (3) Contributions made under this section shall be deposited in the Renewable Energy Development Subaccount, established in ORS 470.805, of the Clean Energy Deployment Fund established in ORS 470.800. (4)(a) Upon receipt of a contribution, the State Department of Energy shall, except as provided in ORS 315.329, issue to the taxpayer written certification of the amount certified for tax credit under this section to the extent the amount certified for tax credit, when added to all amounts previously certified for tax credit under this section, does not exceed $1.5 million for the fiscal year in which certification is made. (b) The State Department of Energy and the Department of Revenue are not liable, and a refund of a contributed amount need not be made, if a taxpayer who has received tax credit certification is unable to use all or a portion of the tax credit to offset the tax liability of the taxpayer. (5) The tax credit allowed under this section for any one tax year may not exceed the tax liability of the taxpayer. (6) Any tax credit otherwise allowable under this section that is not used by the taxpayer in a particular tax year may be carried forward and offset against the taxpayer’s tax liability for the next succeeding tax year. Any credit remaining unused in the next succeeding tax year may be carried forward and used in the second succeeding tax year, and likewise, any credit not used in that second succeeding tax year may be carried forward and used in the third succeeding tax year but may not be carried forward for any tax year thereafter. (7) If a tax credit is claimed under this section by a nonresident or part-year resident taxpayer, the amount shall be allowed without proration under ORS 316.117. (8) If the amount of contribution for which a tax credit certification is made is allowed as a deduction for federal tax purposes, the amount of the contribution shall be added to federal taxable income for Oregon tax purposes. [2011 c.730 §23; 2012 c.45 §2] Sec. 25. A taxpayer may not be allowed a credit under section 23 of this 2011 Act [315.326] for any tax year that begins on or after January 1, 2018. [2011 c.730 §25]