Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
(1)
Processing the Final Certification: To qualify for a Final Certification, the
facility must be completed as described in the Application for Preliminary
Certification and the Preliminary Certificate. Any changes to the Preliminary
Certificate and/or Application for Preliminary Certification must complete the
amendment process outlined in these rules prior to the project completion date.
Failure to obtain approval through the amendment process may result in denial
of the Final Certification Application.
(a)
Applications shall be considered received for the purposes of ORS
469.220 on the date marked
received by the department, unless the application is incomplete. If the
application for final certification is not complete, the date marked received
by the department on the complete application containing all of the required
information shall be considered the received date.
(A) When a facility owner chooses to transfer
the tax credit under ORS
469.206, the Department may hold
the application for final certification until pass-through partner(s)
information is received by the Department.
(B) If more than one pass-through partner is
being transferred the credit, facility owners may have up to 18 months from the
date the first pass-through partner agreement form is received by the
Department to begin each certification period of the tax credit. For
pass-through partner(s) agreement forms received by the Department after the
18-month period, the certification period begins 18 months from the date the
first pass-through partner agreement form was received by the
Department.
(b) Within
30 days after a final certification application is received, the Director will
determine whether the application is complete. An application is incomplete if
it does not include information needed to demonstrate substantive compliance
with the provisions of ORS
469.185 to
469.225 and any applicable rules
or standards and preliminary certification conditions adopted by the Director.
If it is not complete, the applicant will be provided a written explanation
describing deficiencies. If it is complete, the Director will process the
application. Within 60 days after a completed final certification application
is received the director will either approve or deny the final certification.
The Director will process a complete final certification application received
prior to the date of the expiry of the preliminary certificate provided under
ORS 469.205. Applications received
after the expiry of the preliminary certificate are not eligible.
(c) If the Director approves the application,
the Director will issue final certification, which will state the amount of
certified costs, reduced as applicable by any federal grants received, and the
amount of the tax credit approved. The final certification may contain
additional criteria and conditions that must be met in order to retain tax
credit benefits or the tax credit certificate may be subject to revocation. If
the facility fails to meet any of the criteria, conditions and requirements
established in the final certification, the facility owner must notify the
Department within 30 days.
(2) Basis for Denying Tax Credit Benefits
(a) If the Director does not approve the
application, the Director will provide written notice of the action, including
a statement of the findings and reasons for the denial by regular and certified
mail.
(b) A final certification
application that is denied can be submitted again. A final certification
application can be amended or withdrawn by the applicant. If an application is
submitted again or amended, the time within which final certification review
occurs starts over.
(c) If the
Director does not issue a final certification within 60 days after an
application is filed, the application is denied pursuant to ORS
469.215(4).
(d) The Director may deny a final certificate
if:
(A) The applicant does not provide
information about the facility in a reasonable time after the Director requests
it;
(B) The facility is
significantly different than the proposed facility for which the preliminary
certification was issued;
(C) The
applicant misrepresents or fails to construct or operate the
facility;
(D) The applicant fails
to demonstrate that the facility described in the application is separate and
distinct from previous or current applications reviewed by the
Department;
(E) The facility does
not meet all of the conditions and requirements contained in the preliminary
certificate; or
(F) The applicant
is unable to demonstrate that the facility complies with all applicable
provisions of ORS Chapter 469 and these rules.
(3) Basis for Revoking Tax Credit Benefits
(a) The Director may revoke certificates as
provided in ORS 469.225 and
315.354(5). For
the purposes of this section, "fraud or misrepresentation" means any
misrepresentation made by an applicant for a preliminary or final
certification, including but not limited to, misrepresentations as to the
applicant's financial viability, facility construction and operation, or any
other information provided as part of an application for a preliminary or final
certification.
(b) After the
Director issues a final certificate, an applicant must notify the director in
writing of any of the following conditions:
(A) The facility has been moved;
(B) Title to the facility has been
conveyed;
(C) The facility is
subject to or part of a bankruptcy proceeding;
(D) The facility is not operating;
or
(E) The term of a leased
facility has ended.
(c)
Pursuant to ORS 469.225, upon receiving
information that a Manufacturing BETC certification was obtained by fraud or
misrepresentation, or that the facility has not been constructed or operated in
compliance with the requirements in the certificate, the Director shall revoke
the certificate for the facility.
(d) Revocation of the certificate due to
misrepresentation, fraud or failure to construct or operate the facility in
compliance with the certificate results in the loss of all prior and future tax
credits. If all or a part of the tax credit certificate has been transferred to
a pass-through partner under ORS
469.206, the certificate is not
considered revoked as to the pass-through partner, but the facility owner is
liable for the amount of tax credits claimed or that could be
claimed.
(4) Sale or
Disposition of the Facility after Final Certification:
(a) Pursuant to ORS
315.354(5),
upon receiving notice that the facility has been sold or otherwise transferred,
the Director will revoke the final certificate, as of the date of the
disposition of the facility, unless the Manufacturing BETC for the facility has
already been transferred under ORS
469.206.
(b) The new owner or new or renewed lessee of
a facility may apply for a final certificate. The request must comply with OAR
330-091-0130(10) and include information to allow the Director to determine the
amount of tax credit not claimed by the former owner or former lessee. If the
facility continues to comply with the requirements set out in these rules and
any applicable conditions imposed by the Director, the Director will issue a
new final certification consistent with the provisions of ORS
315.354(5).
(5) Request for Reconsideration:
No later than 60 days after the Director issues an order on a preliminary
certification, amendment to a preliminary certification, final certification,
or canceling or revoking a final certificate under these rules, the applicant
or certificate holder may request reconsideration in writing.
(6) Inspections: After an application is
filed under ORS 469.205 or ORS
469.215 or a tax credit is
claimed under these rules, the Department may inspect the facility. The
Department will schedule the inspection during normal working hours, following
reasonable notice to the facility operator.
Stat. Auth.: ORS
469.040 &
469.165,
469.185 -
469.225, OL 2011, Ch. 474 HB2523
Stats. Implemented: OL 2011, Ch. 474 HB2523