Part III. — Internal Revenue Bulletin 2008-21

Credit for Renewable Electricity Production, Refined Coal Production, and Indian Coal Production, and Publication of Inflation Adjustment Factors and Reference Prices for Calendar Year 2008

Notice 2008–48

This notice publishes the inflation adjustment factors and reference prices for calendar year 2008 for the renewable electricity production credit, the refined coal production credit, and the Indian coal production credit under § 45 of the Internal Revenue Code. The 2008 inflation adjustment factors and reference prices are used in determining the availability of the credits. The 2008 inflation adjustment factors and reference prices apply to calendar year 2008 sales of kilowatt-hours of electricity produced in the United States or a possession thereof from qualified energy resources and to calendar year 2008 sales of refined coal and Indian coal produced in the United States or a possession thereof.

BACKGROUND

Section 45(a) provides that the renewable electricity production credit for any tax year is an amount equal to the product of 1.5 cents multiplied by the kilowatt hours of specified electricity produced by the taxpayer and sold to an unrelated person during the tax year. This electricity must be produced from qualified energy resources and at a qualified facility during the 10-year period beginning on the date the facility was originally placed in service.

Section 45(b)(1) provides that the amount of the credit determined under § 45(a) is reduced by an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount of the credit as (A) the amount by which the reference price for the calendar year in which the sale occurs exceeds 8 cents, bears to (B) 3 cents. Under § 45(b)(2), the 1.5 cent amount in § 45(a), the 8 cent amount in § 45(b)(1), the $4.375 amount in § 45(e)(8)(A), and in § 45(e)(8)(B)(i) the

reference price of fuel used as feedstock (within the meaning of § 45(c)(7)(A)) in 2002 are each adjusted by multiplying the amount by the inflation adjustment factor for the calendar year in which the sale occurs. If any amount as increased under the preceding sentence is not a multiple of 0.1 cent, the amount is rounded to the nearest multiple of 0.1 cent.

Section 45(c)(1) defines qualified energy resources as wind, closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, small irrigation power, municipal solid waste, and qualified hydropower production.

Section 45(d)(1) defines a qualified facility using wind to produce electricity as any facility owned by the taxpayer that is originally placed in service after December 31, 1993, and before January 1, 2009. See § 45(e)(7) for rules relating to the inapplicability of the credit to electricity sold to utilities under certain contracts.

Section 45(d)(2)(A) defines a qualified facility using closed-loop biomass to produce electricity as any facility (i) owned by the taxpayer that is originally placed in service after December 31, 1992, and before January 1, 2009, or (ii) owned by the taxpayer which before January 1, 2009, is originally placed in service and modified to use closed-loop biomass to co-fire with coal, with other biomass, or with both, but only if the modification is approved under the Biomass Power for Rural Development Programs or is part of a pilot project of the Commodity Credit Corporation as described in 65 Fed. Reg. 63052. Section 45(d)(2)(B) provides that in the case of a qualified facility described in § 45(d)(2)(A)(ii), (i) the 10-year period referred to in § 45(a) is treated as beginning no earlier than the date of enactment of § 45(d)(2)(B)(i); (ii) the amount of the credit determined under § 45(a) with respect to the facility is an amount equal to the amount determined without regard to § 45(d)(2)(B)(ii) multiplied by the ratio of the thermal content of the closed-loop biomass used in the facility to the thermal content of all fuels used in the facility; and (iii) if the owner of the facility is not the producer of the electricity, the person eligible for the credit allowable under § 45(a) is the lessee or the operator of the facility.

Section 45(d)(3)(A) defines a qualified facility using open-loop biomass to produce electricity as any facility owned by the taxpayer which (i) in the case of a facility using agricultural livestock waste nutrients, (I) is originally placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(3)(A)(i)(I) and before January 1, 2009, and (II) the nameplate capacity rating of which is not less than 150 kilowatts; and (ii) in the case of any other facility, is originally placed in service before January 1, 2009. In the case of any facility described in § 45(d)(3)(A), if the owner of the facility is not the producer of the electricity, § 45(d)(3)(B) provides that the person eligible for the credit allowable under § 45(a) is the lessee or the operator of the facility.

Section 45(d)(4) defines a qualified facility using geothermal or solar energy to produce electricity as any facility owned by the taxpayer which is originally placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(4) and before January 1, 2009 (January 1, 2006, in the case of a facility using solar energy). A qualified facility using geothermal or solar energy does not include any property described in § 48(a)(3) the basis of which is taken into account by the taxpayer for purposes of determining the energy credit under § 48.

Section 45(d)(5) defines a qualified facility using small irrigation power to produce electricity as any facility owned by the taxpayer which is originally placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(5) and before January 1, 2009.

Section 45(d)(6) defines a qualified facility using gas derived from the biodegradation of municipal solid waste to produce electricity as any facility owned by the taxpayer which is originally placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(6) and before January 1, 2009.

Section 45(d)(7) defines a qualified facility that burns municipal solid waste to produce electricity as any facility owned by the taxpayer which is originally placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(7) and before January 1, 2009. A qualified facility burning municipal solid waste includes a new unit placed in service in connection with a facility placed in service on or before the date of enactment of § 45(d)(7), but only to the extent of the in

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except that section 45(e)(2)(B) shall be applied by substituting 2005 for 1992.

INFLATION ADJUSTMENT FACTORS AND REFERENCE PRICES

The inflation adjustment factor for calendar year 2008 for qualified energy resources and refined coal is 1.3854. The inflation adjustment factor for Indian coal is 1.0591. The reference price for calendar year 2008 for facilities producing electricity from wind (based upon information provided by the Department of Energy) is 3.60 cents per kilowatt hour. The reference prices for fuel used as feedstock within the meaning of § 45(c)(7)(A), relating to refined coal production (based upon information provided by the Department of Energy) are $31.90 per ton for calendar year 2002 and $45.56 per ton for calendar year 2008. The reference prices for facilities producing electricity from closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, small irrigation power, municipal solid waste, and qualified hydropower production have not been determined for calendar year 2008. The IRS is exploring methods of determining those reference prices for calendar year 2009.

PHASE-OUT CALCULATION

Because the 2008 reference price for electricity produced from wind does not exceed 8 cents multiplied by the inflation adjustment factor, the phaseout of the credit provided in § 45(b)(1) does not apply to such electricity sold during calendar year 2008. Because the 2008 reference price of fuel used as feedstock for refined coal does not exceed the $31.90 reference price of such fuel in 2002 multiplied by the inflation adjustment factor and 1.7, the phaseout of credit provided in § 45(e)(8)(B) does not apply to refined coal sold during calendar year 2008. Further, for electricity produced from closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy, small irrigation power, municipal solid waste, and qualified hydropower production, the phaseout of credit provided in § 45(b)(1) does not apply to such electricity sold during calendar year 2008.

creased amount of electricity produced at the facility by reason of such new unit.

Section 45(d)(8) provides in the case of a facility that produces refined coal, the term “refined coal production facility” means a facility which is placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(8) and before January 1, 2009.

Section 45(d)(9) defines a qualified facility producing qualified hydroelectric production described in § 45(c)(8) as (A) any facility producing incremental hydropower production, but only to the extent of its incremental hydropower production attributable to efficiency improvements or additions to capacity described in § 45(c)(8)(B) placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(9) and before January 1, 2009, and (B) any other facility placed in service after the date of enactment of § 45(d)(9) and before January 1, 2009. Section 45(d)(9)(C) provides that in the case of a qualified facility described in § 45(d)(9)(A), the 10-year period referred to in § 45(a) is treated as beginning on the date the efficiency improvements or additions to capacity are placed in service.

Section 45(d)(10) provides in the case of a facility that produces Indian coal, the term “Indian coal production facility” means a facility which is placed in service before January 1, 2009.

Section 45(e)(8)(A) provides that the refined coal production credit is an amount equal to $4.375 per ton of qualified refined coal (i) produced by the taxpayer at a refined coal production facility during the 10-year period beginning on the date the facility was originally placed in service, and (ii) sold by the taxpayer (I) to an unrelated person and (II) during the 10-year period and the tax year. Section 45(e)(8)(B) provides that the amount of credit determined under § 45(e)(8)(A) is reduced by an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount of the increase as (i) the amount by which the reference price of fuel used as feedstock (within the meaning of § 45(c)(7)(A)) for the calendar year in which the sale occurs exceeds an amount equal to 1.7 multiplied by the reference price for such fuel in 2002, bears to (ii) $8.75.

Section 45(e)(10)(A) provides in the case of a producer of Indian coal, the credit determined under section 45 for any taxable year shall be increased by an amount

equal to the applicable dollar amount per ton of Indian coal (i) produced by the taxpayer at an Indian coal production facility during the 7-year period beginning on January 1, 2006, and (ii) sold by the taxpayer (I) to an unrelated person, and (II) during such 7-year period and such taxable year.

Section 45(e)(10)(B)(i) defines “applicable dollar amount” for any taxable year as (I) $1.50 in the case of calendar years 2006 through 2009, and (II) $2.00 in the case of calendar years beginning after 2009. Section 45(e)(2)(A) requires the Secretary to determine and publish in the Federal Register each calendar year the inflation adjustment factor and the reference price for the calendar year. The inflation adjustment factors and the reference prices for the 2008 calendar year were published in the Federal Register on April 30, 2008 (73 Fed. Reg. 23525).

Section 45(e)(2)(B) defines the inflation adjustment factor for a calendar year as the fraction the numerator of which is the GDP implicit price deflator for the preceding calendar year and the denominator of which is the GDP implicit price deflator for the calendar year 1992. The term “GDP implicit price deflator” means the most recent revision of the implicit price deflator for the gross domestic product as computed and published by the Department of Commerce before March 15 of the calendar year.

Section 45(e)(2)(C) provides that the reference price is the Secretary’s determination of the annual average contract price per kilowatt hour of electricity generated from the same qualified energy resource and sold in the previous year in the United States. Only contracts entered into after December 31, 1989, are taken into account.

Under § 45(e)(8)(C), the determination of the reference price for fuel used as feedstock within the meaning of § 45(c)(7)(A) is made according to rules similar to the rules under § 45(e)(2)(C).

Under section 45(e)(10)(B)(ii), in the case of any calendar year after 2006, each of the dollar amounts under section 45(e)(10)(B)(i) shall be equal to the product of such dollar amount and the inflation adjustment factor determined under section 45(e)(2)(B) for the calendar year,

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CREDIT AMOUNT BY QUALIFIED ENERGY RESOURCE AND FACILITY, REFINED COAL, AND INDIAN COAL

As required by § 45(b)(2), the 1.5 cent amount in § 45(a)(1), the 8 cent amount in § 45(b)(1), and the $4.375 amount in § 45(e)(8)(A) are each adjusted by multiplying such amount by the inflation adjustment factor for the calendar year in which the sale occurs. If any amount as increased under the preceding sentence is not a multiple of 0.1 cent, such amount is rounded to the nearest multiple of 0.1 cent. In the case of electricity produced in open-loop biomass facilities, small irrigation power facilities, landfill gas facilities, trash combustion facilities, and qualified hydropower facilities, § 45(b)(4)(A) requires the amount in effect under § 45(a)(1) (before rounding to the nearest 0.1 cent) to be reduced by one-half. Under the calculation required by § 45(b)(2), the credit for renewable electricity production for calendar year 2008 under § 45(a) is 2.1 cents per kilowatt hour on the sale of electricity produced from the qualified energy resources of wind, closed-loop biomass, geothermal energy, and solar energy, and 1.0 cent per kilowatt hour on the sale of electricity produced in open-loop biomass facilities, small irrigation power facilities, landfill gas facilities, trash combustion facilities, and qualified hydropower facilities. Under the calculation required by § 45(b)(2), the credit for refined coal production for calendar year 2008 under section 45(e)(8)(A) is $6.061 per ton on the sale of qualified refined coal. The credit for Indian coal production for calendar year 2008 under

For Plan Years

§ 45(e)(10)(B) is $1.589 per ton on the sale of Indian coal.

DRAFTING AND CONTACT INFORMATION

The principal author of this notice is Philip Tiegerman of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Passthroughs and Special Industries). For further information regarding this notice, contact Mr. Tiegerman at (202) 622–3110 (not a toll-free call).

Update for Weighted Average Interest Rates, Yield Curves, and Segment Rates

Notice 2008–50

This notice provides guidance as to the corporate bond weighted average interest rate and the permissible range of interest rates specified under § 412(b)(5)(B)(ii)(II) of the Internal Revenue Code as in effect for plan years beginning before 2008. It also provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve (and the corresponding spot segment rates), the 24-month average segment rates, and the funding transitional segment rates under § 430(h)(2). In addition, this notice provides guidance as to the interest rate on 30-year Treasury securities under § 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(II) as in effect for plan years beginning before 2008, the 30-year Treasury weighted average rate under § 431(c)(6)(E)(ii)(I), and the minimum present value segment rates under § 417(e)(3)(D) as in effect for plan years beginning after 2007.

Corporate Bond Weighted

CORPORATE BOND WEIGHTED AVERAGE INTEREST RATE

Sections 412(b)(5)(B)(ii) and 412(l)(7)(C)(i), as amended by the Pension Funding Equity Act of 2004 and by the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (PPA), provide that the interest rates used to calculate current liability and to determine the required contribution under § 412(l) for plan years beginning in 2004 through 2007 must be within a permissible range based on the weighted average of the rates of interest on amounts invested conservatively in long term investment grade corporate bonds during the 4-year period ending on the last day before the beginning of the plan year.

Notice 2004–34, 2004–1 C.B. 848, provides guidelines for determining the corporate bond weighted average interest rate and the resulting permissible range of interest rates used to calculate current liability. That notice establishes that the corporate bond weighted average is based on the monthly composite corporate bond rate derived from designated corporate bond indices. The methodology for determining the monthly composite corporate bond rate as set forth in Notice 2004–34 continues to apply in determining that rate. See Notice 2006–75, 2006–2 C.B. 366. The composite corporate bond rate for April 2008 is 6.45 percent. Pursuant to Notice 2004–34, the Service has determined this rate as the average of the monthly yields for the included corporate bond indices for that month.

The following corporate bond weighted average interest rate was determined for plan years beginning in the month shown below.

Beginning in Permissible Range

Month Year

Average 90% to 100%

May 2008 6.00 5.40 6.00

to cash flows during specified periods. However, an election may be made under § 430(h)(2)(D)(ii) to use the monthly yield curve in place of the segment rates. For plan years beginning in 2008 and 2009, a transitional rule under § 430(h)(2)(G) provides that the segment rates are blended with the corporate bond weighted average

YIELD CURVE AND SEGMENT RATES

Generally for plan years beginning after 2007 (except for delayed effective dates for certain plans under sections 104, 105, and 106 of PPA), § 430 of the Code specifies the minimum funding require

ments that apply to single employer plans pursuant to § 412. Section 430(h)(2) specifies the interest rates that must be used to determine a plan’s target normal cost and funding target. Under this provision, present value is generally determined using three 24-month average interest rates (“segment rates”), each of which applies

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The spot first, second, and third segment rates for the month of April 2008 are, respectively, 4.60, 6.28, and 6.96. The three 24-month average corporate bond segment rates applicable for May 2008 under the election of § 430(h)(2)(G)(iv) are as follows:

Third Segment

as specified above. An election may be made under § 430(h)(2)(G)(iv) to use the segment rates without applying the transitional rule.

Notice 2007–81, 2007–44 I.R.B. 899, provides guidelines for determining the monthly corporate bond yield curve, the

First Segment

24-month average corporate bond segment rates, and the funding transitional segment rates used to compute the target normal cost and the funding target. Pursuant to Notice 2007–81, the monthly corporate bond yield curve derived from April 2008 data is in Table I at the end of this notice.

Second Segment

5.16 6.00 6.53

The transitional segment rates under § 430(h)(2)(G) applicable for May 2008,

For Plan Years

Beginning in

taking into account the corporate bond weighted average of 6.00 stated above, are as follows:

First Segment

Second Segment

Third Segment

2008 5.72 6.00 6.18

for the full-funding limitation described in § 431(c)(6)(A), based on the plan’s current liability. Section 431(c)(6)(E)(ii)(I) provides that the interest rate used to calculate current liability for this purpose must be no more than 5 percent above and no more than 10 percent below the weighted average of the rates of interest on 30-year Treasury securities during the four-year period ending on the last day before the beginning of the plan year. Notice 88–73, 1988–2 C.B. 383, provides guidelines for determining the weighted average interest rate. The following rates were determined for plan years beginning in the month shown below.

30-YEAR TREASURY SECURITIES INTEREST RATES

Section 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(II) (prior to amendment by PPA) defines the applicable interest rate, which must be used for purposes of determining the minimum present value of a participant’s benefit under § 417(e)(1) and (2), as the annual rate of interest on 30-year Treasury securities for the month before the date of distribution or such other time as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe. Section 1.417(e)–1(d)(3) of the Income Tax Regulations provides that the applicable interest rate for a month is the annual

For Plan Years

rate of interest on 30-year Treasury securities as specified by the Commissioner for that month in revenue rulings, notices or other guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.

The rate of interest on 30-year Treasury securities for April 2008 is 4.44 percent. The Service has determined this rate as the monthly average of the daily determination of yield on the 30-year Treasury bond maturing in February 2038.

Generally for plan years beginning after 2007, § 431 specifies the minimum funding requirements that apply to multiemployer plans pursuant to § 412. Section 431(c)(6)(B) specifies a minimum amount

30-Year Treasury Weighted

Beginning in Treasury Permissible Range

Month Year

90% to 105% Average

May 2008 4.76 4.29 5.00

termining the minimum present value segment rates. Pursuant to that notice, the minimum present value transitional segment rates determined for April 2008, taking into account the April 2008 30-year Treasury rate of 4.44 stated above, are as follows:

MINIMUM PRESENT VALUE SEGMENT RATES

Generally for plan years beginning after December 31, 2007, the applicable interest rates under § 417(e)(3)(D) are segment rates computed without regard to a

24-month average. For plan years beginning in 2008 through 2011, the applicable interest rate is the monthly spot segment rate blended with the applicable rate under § 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(II) as in effect for plan years beginning in 2007. Notice 2007–81 provides guidelines for de

2008–21 I.R.B. 1011 May 27, 2008

For Plan Years

Beginning in

First Segment

Second Segment

Third Segment

2008 4.47 4.81 4.94

DRAFTING INFORMATION

The principal author of this notice is Tony Montanaro of the Employee Plans,

Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. Mr. Montanaro may be e-mailed at RetirementPlanQuestions@irs.gov .

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Table I

Monthly Yield Curve for April 2008

Maturity Yield Maturity Yield Maturity Yield Maturity Yield Maturity Yield

2008–21 I.R.B. 1013 May 27, 2008

whether a mortgage-backed security or corporate debt security (whether secured or unsecured) is “readily marketable” if such a security is described in Section 3 of this revenue procedure and is of a type that was readily marketable at any time within three years prior to the effective date of this revenue procedure.

This revenue procedure does not address any other issue relating to the qualification of a transaction under section 956(c)(2)(J) ( e.g., whether the transaction is undertaken in the ordinary course of business by a dealer in securities or commodities).