First Regular Session
              Sixty-ninth General Assembly
                    STATE OF COLORADO
                                                 INTRODUCED
                                                           
                                                           
 LLS NO. 13-0025.01 Chuck Brackney x2295 SENATE BILL 13-003
                   SENATE SPONSORSHIP
 Baumgardner, 
 
                    HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
 Coram, Sonnenberg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Senate Committees
 House Committees
 
 
 State, Veterans, & Military Affairs
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                         A BILL FOR AN ACT
       Concerning methane gas captured from active and inactive
            coal mines.
       
       
                           Bill Summary
       
            (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
       not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
       passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
       applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
       http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.)
       
            The bill establishes a greenhouse gas mitigation project involving
       the capture of coal mine methane gas from active and inactive coal mines.
       Each kilowatt-hour of energy generated by captured coal mine methane
       gas is counted as one kilowatt-hour for purposes of compliance with the
       renewable energy standard.
       
       
       
       Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:
            SECTION 1.  In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 40-2-124.5 as
       follows:
            40-2-124.5.  Greenhouse gas mitigation projects - coal mine
       methane gas - legislative declaration - definition. (1)  The general
       assembly finds, determines, and declares that the capture of
       coal mine methane gas provides many benefits to Colorado
       citizens by making beneficial use of a source of energy that
       would otherwise be wasted, reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
       and providing new jobs and revenues to local communities.
            (2)  As used in this section,"coal mine methane gas" means
       the greenhouse gas methane captured from active and inactive
       coal mines where it is determined that the methane is escaping to
       the atmosphere. At active mines, only methane vented in the
       normal course of mine operations and safety procedures, and, at
       inactive mines, only methane that is naturally escaping to the
       atmosphere, is coal mine methane gas. The capture and
       combustion of coal mine methane gas as a clean energy source
       may be verified by a qualified third party following established
       carbon offset protocols for climate protection.
            (3)  Each kilowatt-hour of electricity generated from
       coal mine methane gas is counted as one kilowatt-hour for
       purposes of compliance with the renewable energy standard
       under section 40-2-124 as an eligible energy resource; except
       that the total amount of electricity generated by coal mine
       methane gas to be counted toward compliance with the
       renewable energy standard established in section 40-2-124 must
       not exceed fifty megawatts of nameplate capacity.
            SECTION 2.  Act subject to petition - effective date. This act
       takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the
       ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August
       7, 2013, if adjournment sine die is on May 8, 2013); except that, if a
       referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the
       state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act
       within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect
       unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in
       November 2014 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the
       official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.