H-8226

   Amend House File 2580 as follows:
   1.  Page 9, after line 24 by inserting: 
   <16.  a.  Beginning no later than twelve months after the commencement of commercial operation of a wind energy conversion facility, and annually thereafter, the facility owner or operator shall cause to be performed a comprehensive inspection of all turbine blades and shall file a written report of the inspection results with the county auditor of each county in which the facility is located.
   b.  Each annual blade inspection shall be performed by a qualified blade inspection technician who is independent of the facility owner and operator and who holds a current certification from a nationally recognized wind energy technical training program. The inspection shall include all of the following:
   (1)  A visual and photographic assessment of the condition of the leading edge of each blade on each turbine in the facility, documenting the extent and severity of any erosion, pitting, cracking, delamination, or loss of leading edge protection material.
   (2)  An estimate, for each blade inspected, of the mass of material lost due to erosion since the prior inspection, or since initial installation if the inspection is the first annual inspection, expressed in grams.
   (3)  A classification of the erosion severity of each blade using the following scale:
   (a)  “Category 1”, meaning surface coating erosion only with no exposure of fiberglass substrate.
   (b)  “Category 2”, meaning partial erosion of coating with limited exposure of fiberglass substrate.
   (c)  “Category 3”, meaning significant erosion with substantial exposure of fiberglass substrate.
   (d)  “Category 4”, meaning structural erosion with loss of fiberglass material or delamination of blade layers.
   (4)  For any blade classified as category 3 or category 4, a detailed assessment of the fiberglass and microplastic emissions from that blade and a recommended timeline for repair or replacement.
   c.  The annual inspection report shall be filed with the county auditor within sixty days of the completion of the inspection. A copy of the report shall be made available to any owner of nonparticipating property within one mile of the facility upon written request.
   d.  If any blade is classified as category 4 the facility owner or operator shall take the affected turbine out of service within thirty days and shall not return the turbine to service until the blade has been repaired or replaced and a follow-up inspection confirms that the blade condition has been restored to category 1 or category 2.
   e.  The facility owner or operator shall bear all costs of the annual blade inspections and reports required under this subsection.
   f.  All inspection reports filed under this subsection shall be public records.
   g.  This subsection shall not apply to a renewable electric power generation facility that does not include a wind energy conversion facility.>
   2.  By renumbering, redesignating, and correcting internal references as necessary.

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THOMSON of Floyd