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LRBs0404/1
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2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE
ASSEMBLY SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 4,
TO ASSEMBLY BILL 489
February 23, 2022 - Offered by Representative Oldenburg.
AB489-ASA4,1,3 1An Act to amend 79.04 (5) (a) (intro.) and 79.04 (5) (b) (intro.); and to create
279.005 (1h) and 79.04 (8) of the statutes; relating to: changing the phase-out
3of utility aid payments for decommissioned power plants.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, if a power production plant that is exempt from property
taxes is decommissioned or closed, and therefore becomes taxable, the county and
municipality where the plant is located each receive a utility aid payment for the first
five years in which the plant is subject to the property tax, in an amount equal to a
percentage of the utility aid payment received for the last year in which the plant was
exempt. Under the bill, these post-exemption utility aid payments are made only
for a production plant that is decommissioned. Under the bill, “decommissioned”
means, with regard to a production plant, the earliest of the following: 1) the
production plant is no longer recovered through the utility's rates; or 2) the
production plant is transferred to a person who is not subject to the annual license
fees imposed by the state.
The bill also provides that, with regard to a power production plant that has
multiple power generation units, the utility aid payment received by a county or
municipality will not be reduced on the basis that one or more, but not all, of the
power generation units permanently ceased generating electricity, and the amount
of the payment will be the same as the payment received in the year before the year

the first power generation unit permanently ceased generating electricity. In
addition, the phase out of utility aid payments under the bill does not begin until the
production plant is decommissioned, and the amounts of the phase-out payments
are determined on the basis of the amount of the payment received in the year before
the year the first power generation unit permanently ceased generating electricity.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB489-ASA4,1 1Section 1. 79.005 (1h) of the statutes is created to read:
AB489-ASA4,2,32 79.005 (1h) “Decommissioned” means, with regard to a production plant, the
3earliest of the following:
AB489-ASA4,2,74 (a) The production plant is no longer recovered through the utility's or
5cooperative's rates or, for a production plant owned by a qualified wholesale electric
6company, as defined in s. 76.28 (1) (gm), the production plant permanently ceases
7generating electricity.
AB489-ASA4,2,98 (b) The production plant is transferred to a person who is not subject to the
9annual license fee imposed under s. 76.28 (2) or 76.29 (2).
AB489-ASA4,2 10Section 2. 79.04 (5) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB489-ASA4,2,1911 79.04 (5) (a) (intro.) If property that was exempt from the property tax under
12s. 70.112 (4) and that was used to generate power by a light, heat, or power company,
13except property under s. 66.0813, unless the production plant is owned or operated
14by a local governmental unit located outside of the municipality, or by an electric
15cooperative, or by a municipal electric company under s. 66.0825, is decommissioned
16or closed, the municipality shall be paid, from the public utility account, an amount
17equal to the following percentages of the payment that the municipality received
18under this section during the last year that the property was exempt from the
19property tax:
AB489-ASA4,3
1Section 3. 79.04 (5) (b) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB489-ASA4,3,92 79.04 (5) (b) (intro.) If property that was exempt from the property tax under
3s. 70.112 (4) and that was used to generate power by a light, heat, or power company,
4except property under s. 66.0813, unless the production plant is owned or operated
5by a local governmental unit located outside of the municipality, or by an electric
6cooperative, or by a municipal electric company under s. 66.0825, is decommissioned
7or closed, the county shall be paid, from the public utility account, an amount equal
8to the following percentages of the payment the county received under this section
9during the last year that the property was exempt from the property tax:
AB489-ASA4,4 10Section 4. 79.04 (8) of the statutes is created to read:
AB489-ASA4,3,1411 79.04 (8) All of the following apply to the payments for property of a production
12plant that includes multiple power generation units, except that this subsection
13applies only if the production plant's first power generation unit permanently ceases
14generating electricity after the effective date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date]:
AB489-ASA4,3,1915 (a) No payment received by a municipality or county under sub. (1), (2), (6), or
16(7) shall be reduced on the basis that one or more, but not all, of the power generation
17units permanently cease generating electricity, and the amount of the payment shall
18be the amount that the municipality or county received in the year before the year
19in which the first power generation unit permanently ceased generating electricity.
AB489-ASA4,3,2420 (b) The payments under sub. (5) (a) or (b) shall not be made until the production
21plant is decommissioned, and then the payments shall be determined on the basis
22of the amount of the payment received by the municipality or county under sub. (1),
23(2), (6), or (7) in the year before the year in which the first power generation unit
24permanently ceased generating electricity.
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