The Wyoming Joint Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee met on January 13, 2022 in Casper to finish up on interim committee bills. Two bills in particular were of interest to petroleum marketers.
22LSO-0091 v0.5 Challenge loan fueling infrastructure loans-amendments. was a bill that expanded the Wyoming Business Council's authority to grant Challenge Loans for electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling stations. The law currently authorizes Challenge Loans for CNG refueling stations and was passed during the 2012 push to increase compressed natural gas vehicles and refueling stations. Unfortunately, that fad did not come to fruition and no loans were ever awarded for CNG infrastructure projects. After an extended discussion on the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding for DCFC electric vehicle fast charging and Level 2 stations in Wyoming .... approximately $5 million a year for the next five years, the Committee was skeptical about forwarding the bill. Several pointed to the fact that no CNG projects were ever requested and funded. Several suggested that the IIJA funding would eliminate the need for Challenge Loans that involve banking institutions backing and a rigorous reporting process. The bill failed on a tie vote of 5-5 with 4 members excused. WPMA staff believes that the WBC will attempt the bill again after IIJA guidelines are laid out by the Biden administration. Finally, it is no secret that many members of the legislature do not support the Wyoming Business Council believing the organization to be ineffective and administratively heavy.
22LSO-0201 v0.4 Electric vehicle charging stations-regulation exemption. is a bill that removes the Public Service Commission from having any regulatory oversight for electric charging stations, whether retail or commercial. The Committee had many questions regarding fuel taxes, sales tax, and other elements of electric vehicle fast charging and who ultimately would be the regulatory entity to regulate DCFC and Level 2 stations. The questions obviated...like the previous bill, a lot of concerns with the current push to turn all highway vehicles to electric vehicles by 2030. It was pointed out more than once that internal combustion engine-driven vehicles are not going away anytime soon. The PSC representative assured the Committee that, regardless of a legislator's position on EV's, the bill was necessary to keep from forcing the build-out of EV charging stations at retail or commercial locations to be regulated by the PSC. The bill passed on a 7-4 vote with 3 members excused.
On another topic, 22LSO-0200 v0.3 Solid waste cease and transfer program funding., passed the Committee unanimously. This bill prioritizes funding for landfill remediation projects or transfer station mitigation. The list is important to marketers because much of the funding comes from the $.01 additional license tax that also funds petroleum storage tank release remediation. In previous years, WPMA was able to secure a priority position for the storage tank program...i.e. the storage tank program is funded to its level of need annually or transfers are not made to the landfill remediation or orphan tank remediation programs. WPMA staff monitors the list annually to assure no legislative changes are made to STP's priority position for funding. The additional license tax proceeds not utilized for release remediation are put to good use for other non-point source remediation programs like landfill remediation and orphan tank clean up.