The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.   (1) Abandonment in-place--A method of permanent removal of an underground storage tank from service where the tank is left in the ground after appropriate preparation and filling with an acceptable solid inert material in accordance with the requirements of §334.55 of this title (relating to Permanent Removal from Service).   (2) Abatement--The process of reducing in sufficient degree or intensity the source of the release or impacted area, and potential fire, explosion, or vapor hazards, such that immediate threats to human health no longer exist. This includes the removal, as necessary, of all regulated substances from any confirmed or suspected release source (including associated aboveground or underground tanks, individual tank compartments, or associated piping) and the removal of phase-separated regulated substances from the impacted area.   (3) Aboveground release--Any release to the surface of the land or to surface water, including, but not limited to, releases from the aboveground portion of an underground storage tank (UST) system and releases associated with overfills and transfer operations during the dispensing, delivering, or removal of regulated substances into or out of a UST system.   (4) Aboveground storage tank (AST)--A non-vehicular device, (including any associated piping), that is made of non-earthen materials; located on or above the surface of the ground, or on or above the surface of the floor of a structure below ground, such as mineworking, basement, or vault; and designed to contain an accumulation of petroleum products.   (5) ACT--A trademark of the former Association for Composite Tanks, now a licensed trademark of the Steel Tank Institute.   (6) Action level--The concentration of constituents of any substance or product listed in §334.1(a)(1) of this title (relating to Purpose and Applicability) in the soil or water at which corrective action will be required.   (7) Allowable cost--As defined by §334.308 of this title (relating to Allowable Costs and Restrictions on Allowable Costs).   (8) Ancillary equipment--Any devices that are used to distribute, meter, or control the flow of petroleum substances or hazardous substances into or out of an underground storage tank (UST), including, but not limited to, piping, fittings, flanges, valves, and pumps.   (9) ANSI--American National Standards Institute, a nationally recognized organization which provides certifications and standards for consumer products and services.   (10) API--American Petroleum Institute, a nationally recognized organization which provides certifications and standards for petroleum equipment and services.   (11) Appropriate regional office--The agency's regional field office which has jurisdiction for conducting authorized agency regulatory activities in the area where a particular underground storage tank system or aboveground storage tank system is located.   (12) ASTM--American Society of Testing and Materials, a nationally recognized organization which provides certifications and standards for products and services.   (13) Backfill--The volume of materials or soils surrounding the underground storage tank bounded by the ground surface, walls, and floor of the tank pit.   (14) Below-ground release--Any release to the subsurface of the land or to groundwater, including, but not limited to, releases from the below-ground portions of an underground storage tank (UST) system and releases associated with overfills and transfer operations during the dispensing, delivering, or removal of regulated substances into or out of a UST system.   (15) Beneath the surface of the ground--Beneath the ground surface or otherwise covered with materials so that visual inspection is precluded.   (16) Cathodic protection--A technique to prevent corrosion of a metal surface by making that surface the cathode of an electrochemical cell, normally by means of either the attachment of galvanic anodes or the application of impressed current.   (17) CERCLA--The federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.   (18) Change-in-service--A method of permanent removal from service involving the permanent conversion of a regulated underground storage tank to a tank which is not regulated under this chapter, where all regulated substances are properly removed by emptying and cleaning, and the tank is left in the ground for the storage of materials other than regulated substances.   (19) Closure letter--A letter issued by the agency which states that, based on the information available, the agency agrees that corrective action has been completed for the referenced release in accordance with agency requirements.   (20) Commingled--A combination or mixture of a petroleum product and a substance other than a petroleum product (excluding soil and/or water).   (21) Common carrier--With respect to delivery prohibitions, a person (as defined in this section) who physically delivers a regulated substance into an underground storage tank directly from a cargo tank which is affixed or mounted to a self-propelled, towable, or pushable vehicle (e.g., wagon, truck, trailer, railcar, aircraft, boat, or barge).   (22) Composite tank--A single-wall or double-wall steel tank, to which a fiberglass-reinforced plastic laminate or cladding has been factory-applied to the external surface of the outer tank wall.   (23) Consumptive use--(With respect to heating oil) the utilization and consumption of heating oil on the premises where stored.   (24) Corporate Fiduciary--An entity chartered by the Banking Department of Texas, the Savings and Loan Department of Texas, the United States comptroller of the currency, or the director of the United States Office of Thrift Supervision that acts as a receiver, conservator, guardian, executor, administrator, trustee, or fiduciary of real or personal property.   (25) Corrective action--Any assessment, monitoring, and remedial activities undertaken to investigate the extent of, and to remediate, contamination.   (26) Corrective action plan (or remedial action plan)--A detailed plan developed to address site remediation of soil, groundwater, or surface water contamination that provides for required protection of human health, safety, and the environment. The selection of the most effective and efficient remedial method will be dictated by the nature and location of the release, the site soils, hydrogeological conditions, and the required degree of remediation. The remedial method selection should take into consideration such factors as cost, time, and state compliance requirements with each method. The title of any report which contains a corrective action plan must include the designation "remedial action plan."   (27) Corrosion specialist--A person who, by reason of a thorough knowledge of the physical sciences and the principals of engineering and mathematics acquired by a professional education and related practical experience, is qualified to engage in the practice of corrosion control on buried or submerged metal piping systems and metal tanks, and who is either:     (A) certified as a corrosion specialist or a cathodic protection specialist by NACE International; or     (B) licensed as a professional engineer by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers in a branch of engineering that includes education and experience in corrosion control of buried or submerged metal piping systems and metal tanks.   (28) Corrosion technician--A person who can demonstrate an understanding of the principals of soil resistivity, stray current, structure-to-soil potential, and component electrical isolation measurements related to corrosion protection and control on buried or submerged metal tanks and metal piping systems; who is qualified by appropriate training and experience to engage in the practice of inspection and testing for corrosion protection and control on such systems, including the inspection and testing of all common types of cathodic protection systems; and who is either:     (A) certified by NACE International as a corrosion technician, corrosion technologist, or senior corrosion technologist;     (B) employed under the direct supervision of a corrosion specialist (as defined in this section), where the corrosion specialist maintains responsible control and oversight over all corrosion testing and inspection activities; or     (C) certified as a cathodic protection tester, in a manner satisfactory to the agency, by either NACE International or the Steel Tank Institute (STI).   (29) Date installation is complete--The date any regulated substance is initially placed in an underground storage tank or the date any petroleum product is initially placed in an aboveground storage tank.   (30) Dielectric material--A material that does not conduct direct electrical current, as related to coatings, bushings, and other equipment and materials used with underground storage tank systems.   (31) Electrical equipment--Underground equipment which contains dielectric fluid which is necessary for the operation of equipment such as transformers and buried electrical cable.   (32) Emergency generator--A standby electrical generating system powered by an internal combustion engine (including a turbine), where such system is designed to supply temporary electrical service only when service from the normal or primary electrical source is disrupted. Such systems include, but are not necessarily limited to, those providing emergency electrical service for hospitals, life support systems, and other medical service facilities; telephone and electrical utilities; heating, lighting, ventilation, security, elevator, fire control, and other essential building operations systems; uninterruptible power systems; essential air conditioning and refrigeration; and motors, machinery, and controls used for other essential or critical purposes.   (33) Excavation zone--The space containing the underground storage tank (UST) system and backfill material, which is bounded by the ground surface and the walls and floor of the pit and trenches into which the UST system is placed at the time of installation.   (34) Existing underground storage tank (UST) system--A UST system which is used or designed to contain an accumulation of regulated substances for which installation either had commenced prior to December 22, 1988, or had been completed on or prior to December 22, 1988. Installation will be considered to have commenced if the owner or operator had obtained all federal, state, and local approvals or permits necessary to begin physical construction at the site or installation of the tank system, and if either a continuous on-site physical construction or installation program had begun or the owner or operator had entered into contractual obligations (which could not be canceled or modified without substantial loss) which required that the physical construction at the site or installation of the tank system was to be completed within a reasonable time.   (35) External release detection--A method of release detection which includes equipment or procedures designed to effectively monitor or measure for the presence of regulated substances in the excavation zone, soil, or other media outside of a single-wall or double-wall underground storage tank system.   (36) Facility--The site, tract, or other defined area where one or more underground storage tank systems or one or more aboveground storage tank systems are located.   (37) Farm--A tract or tracts of land (including all associated structures and improvements) which are principally devoted to the raising of agricultural or other types of crops, domestic or other types of animals, or fish for the production of food, fiber, or other products or for other useful purposes, including fish hatcheries, rangeland, and plant nurseries with growing operations, but not including timber-growing land and operations dedicated primarily to recreational, aesthetic, or other non-agricultural activities (e.g., golf courses and parks).   (38) Farm tank--A tank located on a farm where the stored regulated substance is or will be utilized directly in the farm activities.   (39) Field-constructed tank--A tank which is not factory-assembled, and which is principally constructed, fabricated, or assembled at the same facility where the tank is subsequently placed into service.   (40) Flow-through process tank--A tank through which regulated substances flow in a steady, variable, recurring, or intermittent manner during, and as an integral part of, a production process (such as petroleum refining, chemical production, and industrial manufacturing), but specifically excluding any tank used for the static storage of regulated substances prior to their introduction into the production process and any tank used for the static storage of regulated substances which are products or by-products of the production process.   (41) Free product (or free-product or non-aqueous phase liquid)--A regulated substance in its free-flowing non-aqueous liquid phase at standard conditions of temperature and pressure (i.e., that portion of the product not dissolved in water or adhering to soil).   (42) Gathering lines--Any pipeline, equipment, facility, or building used in the transportation of oil or gas during oil or gas production or gathering operation. Cont'd...