2023 Ohio Revised Code › Title 49 | Public Utilities › Chapter 4937 | Utility Radiological Safety › Section 4937.05 | Apportionments and Assessments Against Nuclear Electric Utilities.

Effective:
October 17, 2019
Latest Legislation:
House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly
(A) Subject to division (B) of this section, the utility radiological safety board may apportion among and assess against each nuclear electric utility in this state against which an assessment may be made under section 4905.10 of the Revised Code an amount no greater than the maximums specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act. The assessment shall be made in proportion to the intrastate gross receipts of the utility, excluding receipts from sales to other public utilities for resale, for the calendar year next preceding that in which the assessments are made, or be made based upon the utility's decommissioning budget for the year of the assessment, if the utility is not engaged in the business of producing electricity using nuclear energy. On or before the first day of October in each year, the board shall notify each such utility of the sum assessed against it, whereupon payment shall be made to the board. The board shall deposit the payment into any nuclear safety fund for which a maximum is specified, for the purposes of this section, in the applicable main operating appropriations act. Any assessments so deposited which are not expended shall be credited ratably to each nuclear electric utility that paid them, according to the respective portions of the amount assessable against the utility for the ensuing calendar year. The assessments for such calendar year shall be adjusted accordingly.
(B) The board shall assess an amount against the nuclear electric utilities pursuant to division (A) of this section only in accordance with this division and subject to the conditions it specifies.
(1) Nuclear electric utilities and, separately, the environmental protection agency, the department of health, the department of agriculture, and the emergency management agency of the department of public safety, as member agencies of the board, shall negotiate, in good faith, amounts to be given as grants by the nuclear electric utilities pursuant to this division for funding the member agency for a fiscal biennium. Any such grant shall cover all costs related to the statutory requirements or agreements specified in division (B)(4) of this section, but shall not be required to cover any costs of activities not directly related to those statutory requirements or agreements.
(2)(a) If any of the member agencies specified in division (B)(1) of this section disagrees, before the first day of September of the first year of a fiscal biennium, with the nuclear electric utilities on a grant amount under that division for the agency's funding for that biennium and the agency is requesting a specified amount not exceeding seventy-five per cent of the maximum specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act, the agency shall make a written directive to the board for an assessment against the nuclear electric utilities for that specified amount and shall notify the controlling board, the director of budget and management, and the nuclear electric utilities in writing of that directive. Upon receipt of the directive, the utility radiological safety board shall assess the specified amount against the nuclear electric utilities as provided in division (A) of this section, notwithstanding any provision of that division to the contrary, provided the amount assessed does not exceed the maximum specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act.
(b) If any of the member agencies specified in division (B)(1) of this section disagrees, before the first day of September of the first year of a fiscal biennium, with the nuclear electric utilities on a grant amount under that division for the agency's funding for that biennium and the agency is requesting a specified amount that exceeds seventy-five per cent of the maximum specified for that agency in the applicable main operating appropriations act, the agency may request that the controlling board approve an assessment against the electric utilities in the specified amount. The controlling board shall not approve an assessment so requested if it exceeds that maximum or will not be used for the purposes specified in division (B)(4) of this section. If the controlling board approves the request, the utility radiological safety board shall impose an assessment in the approved amount against the nuclear electric utilities as provided in division (A) of this section, notwithstanding any provision of that division to the contrary.
(c) The board shall not assess against the nuclear electric utilities pursuant to division (A) of this section in any fiscal biennium for which each member agency and the nuclear electric utilities agree on grant amounts pursuant to division (B)(1) of this section.
(3) Revenues received pursuant to grants or assessments under division (B)(1) or (2) of this section shall be deposited into the requesting agency's nuclear safety fund, as such fund is specified in the applicable main operating appropriations act.
(4) Funding provided under this division to a member agency shall be for the purpose of enabling a member agency to fulfill its authority and duties under the statutes related to nuclear safety or the utility safety radiological board, or under agreements with the nuclear regulatory commission.
(5) If a nuclear electric utility makes any recommendation to render the nuclear safety programs of member agencies of the utility radiological safety board more cost effective, the member agencies shall implement the recommendation or provide to the utility a written statement explaining why the recommendation will not be implemented or will be implemented with substantial modification.