Rhode Island § 42-98-3 - Energy Facility Siting Act

§ 42-98-3. Definitions.

(a) “Agency” means any agency, council, board, or commission of the state or political subdivision of the state.

(b) “Alteration” means a significant modification to a major energy facility, which, as determined by the board, will result in a significant impact on the environment, or the public health, safety, and welfare. Conversion from one type of fuel to another shall not be considered to be an “alteration.”

(c) “Board” for purposes of this chapter refers to the siting board.

(d) “Clean coal technology” means one of the technologies developed in the clean coal technology program of the United States Department of Energy, and shown to produce emissions levels substantially equal to those of natural gas fired power plants.

(e) “Major energy facility” means facilities for the extraction, production, conversion, and processing of coal; facilities for the generation of electricity designed or capable of operating at a gross capacity of forty megawatts (40 MW) or more; transmission lines of sixty-nine (69) Kv or over; facilities for the conversion, gasification, treatment, transfer, or storage of liquefied natural and liquefied petroleum gases; facilities for the processing, enrichment, storage, or disposal of nuclear fuels or nuclear byproducts; facilities for the refining of oil, gas, or other petroleum products; facilities of ten megawatts (10 MW) or greater capacity for the generation of electricity by water power, and facilities associated with the transfer of oil, gas, and coal via pipeline; any energy facility project of the Rhode Island commerce corporation; the board may promulgate regulations to further define “major energy facility” to the extent further definition is required to carry out the purpose of this chapter, provided that any waste to energy facility shall not be deemed a major energy facility for the purposes of this chapter.