§ 143B-437.021.  (Expires July 1, 2026 - see note) Natural gas economic development infrastructure.

(a) Purpose and Definitions. - The purpose of this section is to provide eligibility criteria for projects that require natural gas service infrastructure. Costs of natural gas service infrastructure for projects the Department determines are eligible projects under this section may be recovered by natural gas local distribution companies with approval of the North Carolina Utilities Commission under G.S. 62-133.15. The definitions used in G.S. 143B-437.01 apply in this section. In addition, as used in this section, the term "Department" means the Department of Commerce.

(b) Eligibility. - An eligible project is an economic development project that the Department determines satisfies all of the following conditions:

(1) The eligible project will provide opportunities for natural gas usage, jobs, and other economic development benefits in addition to those provided by the project.

(2) The Department certifies that the business has invested or intends to invest at least two hundred million dollars ($200,000,000) of private funds in improvements to real property and additions to tangible personal property in the project.

(3) The business employs or intends to employ at least 1,500 full-time employees or equivalent full-time contract employees at the project at the time the application is made and the business agrees to maintain at least 1,500 full-time employees or equivalent full-time contract employees at the project.

(c) Wage Standard. - A project may be considered an eligible project under this section only if the project is undertaken by a business that satisfies a wage standard at the project. A business satisfies the wage standard if it pays an average weekly wage that is at least equal to one hundred and ten percent (110%) of the average wage for all insured private employers in the county. The Department of Commerce shall annually publish the wage standard for each county. In making the wage calculation, the business shall include any jobs that were filled for at least 1,600 hours during the calendar year, regardless of whether the jobs are full-time positions or equivalent full-time contract positions. Each year that a rate adjustment surcharge mechanism under G.S. 62-133.15 is in effect, the business shall provide the Department a certification that the business continues to satisfy the wage standard.

(d) Health Insurance. - A project may be considered an eligible project under this section only if the project is undertaken by a business that makes available health insurance for all of the full-time employees and equivalent full-time contract employees of the project with respect to which the application is made. For the purposes of this subsection, a business makes available health insurance if it pays at least fifty percent (50%) of the premiums for health care coverage.

Each year that a rate adjustment surcharge mechanism under G.S. 62-133.15 is in effect, the business shall provide the Department a certification that the business continues to make available health insurance for all full-time employees of the project governed by the agreement.

(e) Safety and Health Programs. - A project may be considered an eligible project under this section only if the project is undertaken by a business that has no citations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act that have become a final order within the last three years for willful serious violations or for failing to abate serious violations with respect to the location for which the eligible project is located. For the purposes of this subsection, "serious violation" has the same meaning as in G.S. 95-127.

(f) Environmental Impact. - A project may be considered an eligible project under this section only if the project is undertaken by a business that certifies that, at the time of the application, the business satisfies the environmental impact standard under G.S. 105-129.83.

(g) Limitations. - No more than three eligible projects are authorized under this section. (2016-118, s. 2; 2020-58, s. 7.3.)