The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

(1) AFS‑‑The Commission's Alternative Fuels Safety department within the Commission's Oversight and Safety Division.

(2) ASME‑‑American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

(3) ASME Code‑‑ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.

(4) Automatic dispenser‑‑A CNG dispenser which is operated by a member of the general public and which requires transaction authorization.

(5) Building‑‑A structure with walls and a roof resulting in the structure being totally enclosed.

(6) Cascade storage system‑‑Storage in multiple cylinders.

(7) Certificate holder-‑An individual: (A) who has passed the required management‑level or employee‑level examination pursuant to §13.70 of this title (relating to Examination and Exempt Registration Requirements and Renewal) and paid applicable fees; or (B) who holds a current examination exemption pursuant to §13.70 of this title.

(8) Certified--An individual who is authorized by the Commission to perform the CNG activities covered by the certification issued under §13.70 of this title.

(9) CNG‑‑See "Compressed natural gas" in this section.

(10) CNG cargo tank‑‑A container which complies with ASME or DOT specifications used to transport CNG for delivery.

(11) CNG cylinder‑‑A cylinder or other container designed for use or used as part of a CNG system.

(12) CNG system‑‑A system of safety devices, cylinders, piping, fittings, valves, compressors, regulators, dryers, gauges, relief devices, vents, installation fixtures, and other CNG equipment intended for use or used in any building or public place by the general public, or used in conjunction with a motor vehicle or mobile fuel system fueled by CNG, and any system or facilities designed to be used or used in the compression, sale, storage, transportation for delivery, or distribution of CNG in portable CNG cylinders, but does not include natural gas facilities, equipment, or pipelines located upstream of the outlet of the natural gas meter.

(13) Commercial installation‑‑Any CNG installation located on premises other than a single family dwelling used as a residence, or a private agricultural installation, including but not limited to a retail business establishment, school, convalescent home, hospital, retail CNG cylinder filling/exchange operation, service station, forklift refueling facility, or private motor/mobile fuel cylinder filling operation.

(14) Commission‑‑The Railroad Commission of Texas.

(15) Company representative‑‑The individual designated to the Commission by a license applicant or a licensee as the principal individual in authority and actively supervising the conduct of the licensee's CNG activities.

(16) Compressed natural gas‑‑Natural gas primarily consisting of methane (CH4 ) in gaseous state that is compressed and used, stored, sold, transported, or distributed for use by or through a CNG system.

(17) Container‑‑A pressure vessel cylinder or cylinders permanently manifolded together used to store CNG.

(18) Cylinder service valve‑‑A hand‑wheel operated valve connected directly to a CNG cylinder.

(19) Director‑‑The director of the AFS or the director's delegate.

(20) Dispensing installation‑‑A CNG installation that dispenses CNG from any source by any means into fuel supply cylinders installed on vehicles or into portable cylinders.

(21) DOT‑‑The United States Department of Transportation.

(22) Flexible metal hose‑‑Metal hose made from continuous tubing that is corrugated for flexibility and, if used for pressurized applications, has an external wire braid.

(23) Fuel supply cylinder‑‑A cylinder mounted upon a vehicle for storage of CNG as fuel supply to an internal combustion engine.

(24) Interim approval order‑‑The authority issued by the Railroad Commission of Texas following a public hearing allowing construction of a CNG installation.

(25) Licensed--Authorized by the Commission to perform CNG activities through the issuance of a valid license.

(26) Licensee--A person which has applied for and been granted a CNG license by the Commission.

(27) Mass transit vehicle‑‑Any vehicle which is owned or operated by a political subdivision of a state, city, or county and primarily used in the conveyance of the general public.

(28) Metallic hose‑‑Hose in which the strength of the hose depends primarily on the strength of metallic parts, including liners or covers.

(29) Mobile fuel container‑‑A CNG container mounted on a vehicle to store CNG as the fuel supply for uses other than the engine to propel the vehicle, including use in an auxiliary engine.

(30) Mobile fuel system‑‑A CNG system which supplies natural gas fuel to an auxiliary engine other than the engine used to propel the vehicle or for other uses on the vehicle.

(31) Motor fuel container‑‑A CNG container mounted on a vehicle to store CNG as the fuel supply to an engine used to propel the vehicle.

(32) Motor fuel system‑‑A CNG system to supply natural gas as a fuel for an engine used to propel the vehicle.

(33) Motor vehicle‑‑A self‑propelled vehicle licensed for highway use or used on a public highway.

(34) Operations supervisor--The individual who is certified by the Commission to actively supervise a licensee's CNG activities and is authorized by the licensee to implement operational changes.

(35) Outlet‑‑A site operated by a CNG licensee from which any regulated CNG activity is performed.

(36) Person‑‑An individual, partnership, firm, joint venture, association, corporation, or any other business entity, a state agency or institution, county, municipality, school district, or other governmental subdivision, or licensee.

(37) Point of transfer‑‑The point where the fueling connection is made.

(38) Pressure relief device‑‑A device designed to provide a means of venting excess pressure to prevent rupture of a normally charged cylinder.

(39) Public transportation vehicle‑‑A vehicle for hire to transport persons, including, but not limited to, taxis, buses (excluding school buses, mass transit, or special transit vehicles), or airport courtesy cars.

(40) Pullaway‑‑The accidental separation of a hose from a cylinder, container, transfer equipment, or dispensing equipment, which could occur on a cylinder, container, transfer equipment, or dispensing equipment whether or not they are protected by a pullaway or breakaway device.

(41) Registered manufacturer--A person who has applied for and been granted a registration to manufacture CNG containers by the Commission.

(42) Residential fueling facility‑‑An assembly and its associated equipment and piping at a residence used for the compression and delivery of natural gas into vehicles.

(43) Rules examination--The Commission's written examination that measures an examinee's working knowledge of Texas Natural Resources Code, Chapter 116, and the rules in this chapter.

(44) School‑‑A public or private institution which has been accredited through the Texas Education Agency or the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission.

(45) School bus‑‑A vehicle that is sold or used for purposes that include carrying students to and from school or related events.

(46) Special transit vehicle‑‑A vehicle designed with limited passenger capacity which is used by a mass transit authority for special transit purposes, such as transport of mobility impaired persons.

(47) Trainee--An individual who has not yet taken and passed an employee-level rules examination.

(48) Transfer system--All piping, fittings, valves, pumps, compressors, meters, hoses, and equipment used in transferring CNG between containers.

(49) Transport‑‑Any vehicle or combination of vehicles and CNG cylinders designed or adapted for use or used principally as a means of moving or delivering CNG from one place to another, including, but not limited to, any truck, trailer, semitrailer, cargo tank, or other vehicle used in the distribution of CNG.

(50) Ultimate consumer‑‑The person controlling CNG immediately prior to its ignition.

Source Note: The provisions of this §13.3 adopted to be effective November 15, 1990, 15 TexReg 5934; amended to be effective October 15, 1993, 18 TexReg 6455; amended to be effective June 1, 1994, 19 TexReg 3168; amended to be effective August 22, 1995, 20 TexReg 6017; amended to be effective October 22, 2001, 26 TexReg 8342; amended to be effective June 5, 2006, 31 TexReg 4604; amended to be effective December 24, 2012, 37 TexReg 9917; amended to be effective February 15, 2021, 46 TexReg 1035; amended to be effective February 7, 2023, 48 TexReg 507