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2016 Legislative Digest a Guide to State Energy and Environment Legislation in the South

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2016 Legislative Digest A Guide to State Energy and Environment Legislation in the South 2016 Legislative Digest A Guide to State Energy and Environment Legislation in the South September 2016 Covering measures in 16 states and two U.S. territories Introduction by Representative Rocky Adkins, Kentucky SSEB Vice-Chairman Acknowledgments The Southern States Energy Board’s 2016 Legislative Digest is compiled each year in collaboration with member states and territories. We would like to thank the Board members, legislative research staff and state administrative officials and their staffs as well as many other SSEB friends for assisting us in compiling and reviewing the Digest. A special thank you to the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission (LRC) for providing us with the cover photo. Cover Photo Courtesy of LRC Public Information 2016 Legislative Digest Published by Southern States Energy Board 6325 Amherst Court Peachtree Corners, Georgia 30092 Phone: (770) 242-7712 Fax: (770) 242-9956 Web: www.sseb.org Email: [email protected] Acknowledgements 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 2 Representative Rocky Adkins - Biography .............................................................. 4 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 5 Categories of Energy Legislation ............................................................................ 9 Categories of Environmental Legislation ............................................................. 10 Matrices and Graphs ............................................................................................. 12 Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................... 12 Matrix of 2016 Energy Legislation .......................................................................................... 13 Matrix of 2016 Environmental Legislation ............................................................................. 13 Overall Energy Legislation ...................................................................................................... 14 Overall Environmental Legislation ......................................................................................... 15 Southern States Energy Board Member States ...................................................... 16 Alabama ................................................................................................................................... 16 Arkansas .................................................................................................................................. 20 Florida ..................................................................................................................................... 22 Georgia .................................................................................................................................... 46 Kentucky ................................................................................................................................. 52 Louisiana .................................................................................................................................. 57 Maryland .................................................................................................................................. 75 Mississippi .............................................................................................................................. 92 Missouri .................................................................................................................................. 98 North Carolina ....................................................................................................................... 102 Oklahoma ................................................................................................................................ 111 Puerto Rico ............................................................................................................................. 119 South Carolina ....................................................................................................................... 121 Tennessee ............................................................................................................................... 129 Texas ...................................................................................................................................... 142 U.S. Virgin Islands ................................................................................................................. 144 Virginia ................................................................................................................................... 146 West Virginia .......................................................................................................................... 163 Southern States Energy Board Members ............................................................. 171 Table of Contents 3 Representative Rocky Adkins Biography State Representative Rocky Adkins currently serves as House Majority Floor Leader after being chosen for the post by his Democratic colleagues in November 2003. A long-time veteran of the Kentucky House of Representatives, he is now serving in his 29th year as a legislator. A native of Sandy Hook, Kentucky, Rep. Adkins is a graduate of Elliott County High School and Morehead State University, where he also received his Master’s Degree in Secondary Education. In 1986, Rep. Adkins was elected to the 99th House District at the age of 26, making him one of the youngest members ever elected to serve in the Kentucky legislature. Rep. Adkins served on a number of influential committees including the House Appropriations & Revenue Committee and the Budget Review Subcommittee on Transportation where he was chairman. As a member of House Leadership, Rep. Adkins is on the Rules Committee, the Committee on Committees, and the Legislative Research Commission. A leader in the field of energy independence, Rep. Adkins has introduced several groundbreaking bills that are helping Kentucky and the nation achieve energy self-sufficiency in the coming years. His legislation includes incentives for the conversion of coal to transportation fuels, use of agricultural products for energy such as biodiesel, biomass, ethanol, and cellulose, and greater utilization of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydro. Rep. Adkins' legislative initiatives also promote conservation and incentives for energy efficient home building and construction. Rep. Adkins has been called "the South's lead legislator on energy" and is serving an unprecedented ninth term as Vice Chairman of the Southern States Energy Board (SSEB). One of the most important bills Rep. Adkins has sponsored was the 1996 Kentucky Tourism Development Act that established an incentive program for tourism development projects. The incentive program has helped attract more than $ 1 billion in tourism investments in Kentucky and is responsible for an economic impact of $13.5 billion. The Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet named him their 2013 Tourism Partner to honor this landmark legislation. Rep. Adkins is the recipient of the Ora L. Cline Award, Morehead/Rowan County Chamber of Commerce’s most prestigious award presented to a leader who has made a significant impact on the region. A 20-year survivor of cancer, Rep. Adkins actively raises funds for research by sponsoring an annual golf tournament entitled the "Rocky Adkins Charity Golf Outing - Cure for Cancer" which has raised more than $2.5 million since its inception in 1995. Rep. Adkins has been inducted into the Morehead State University Alumni Hall of Fame and the Junior Achievement Tri State Business Hall of Fame. He has been honored for his public service by many organizations and is the recipient of the East Kentucky Leadership Conference Public Servant Award, the FIVECO Area Development District President's Award and the Ashland Area Labor Management Council Award. He was the March of Dimes Goldenrod Division's 2007 Honoree. Rep. Adkins, married to Leah McCormick Adkins, has three children. Kristen, a graduate of Morehead State University, is married to Josh Salyers and they have two sons, Jaxon and Abram. Rep. Adkins also has a son Branden and daughter Victoria Elise. Representative Rocky Adkins 4 Introduction Representative Rocky Adkins It is my privilege to present the 2016 Legislative Digest. For more than four decades, the Southern States Energy Board has published this Digest, and each year the Board endeavors to ensure that the information representing the legislative trends in the South is accurate and complete. A compendium of energy and environmental legislation enacted by the Board’s 18 member states and territories during the 2016 legislative sessions, this document thoroughly examines legislation passed state-by-state. No other document provides such a comprehensive review of energy and environmental legislation in our member states. This year our member states and territories passed over 510 pieces of legislation. The legislation presented in this document is current through September 14, 2016. Precise bill summaries are categorized for easy comparison. Energy measures are divided among the following categories: Alternative Energy Development; Coal and Minerals; Emergency
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