Sec. 401.003. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter, unless otherwise specifically provided:

(1) "Advisory board" means the radiation advisory board.

(2) Repealed by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1, Sec. 3.1639(74), eff. April 2, 2015.

(3) "By-product material" means:

(A) a radioactive material, other than special nuclear material, that is produced in or made radioactive by exposure to radiation incident to the process of producing or using special nuclear material; and

(B) tailings or wastes produced by or resulting from the extraction or concentration of uranium or thorium from ore processed primarily for its source material content, including discrete surface wastes resulting from uranium solution extraction processes.

(4) "Commission" means the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

(5) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of state health services.

(6) "Department" means the Department of State Health Services or other department designated by the executive commissioner.

(7) "Director" means the director of the radiation control program under the department's jurisdiction.

(8) "Disposal" means, with regard to low-level radioactive waste, isolation or removal of low-level radioactive waste from mankind and mankind's environment without intent to retrieve that low-level radioactive waste later. The term does not include emissions and discharges under department rules.

(9) "Electronic product" means a manufactured product or device or component part of a manufactured product or device that has an electronic circuit that during operation can generate or emit a physical field of radiation.

(9-a) "Executive commissioner" means the executive commissioner of the Health and Human Services Commission.

(10) "Federal commission" means the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(11) "Perpetual care account" means the radiation and perpetual care account.

(12) "General license" means a license issued under department rules for which an application is not required to be filed to transfer, acquire, own, possess, or use quantities of or devices or equipment that make use of by-product, source, special nuclear, or other radioactive material.

(12-a) "Gross receipts" includes, with respect to an entity or affiliated members, owners, shareholders, or limited or general partners, all receipts from the entity's disposal operations in Texas licensed under this chapter including any bonus, commission, or similar payment received by the entity from a customer, contractor, subcontractor, or other person doing business with the entity or affiliated members, owners, shareholders, or limited or general partners. This term does not include receipts from the entity's operations in Texas, or affiliated members, owners, shareholders, or limited or general partners, for capital reimbursements, bona fide storage and processing, and federal or state taxes or fees on waste received uniquely required to meet the specifications of a license or contract. The commission may promulgate rules in establishing the criteria for determining gross receipts consistent with the parameters of this definition.

(12-b) "High-level radioactive waste" has the meaning assigned by 42 U.S.C. Section 10101(12) and includes spent nuclear fuel as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 10101(23).

(13) "Local government" means a municipality, county, special district, or other political subdivision of the state.

(14) "Person" includes a legal successor to or representative, agent, or agency of any person but does not include the federal commission and federal agencies the federal commission licenses or exempts.

(15) "Person affected" means a person who demonstrates that the person has suffered or will suffer actual injury or economic damage and, if the person is not a local government:

(A) is a resident of a county, or a county adjacent to that county, in which nuclear or radioactive material is or will be located; or

(B) is doing business or has a legal interest in land in the county or adjacent county.

(16) "Processing" means the storage, extraction of material, transfer, volume reduction, compaction, or other separation and preparation of low-level radioactive waste for reuse or disposal, including a treatment or activity that renders the waste less hazardous, safer for transport, or amenable to recovery, storage, or disposal.

(17) "Radiation" means one or more of the following:

(A) gamma-rays and X-rays, alpha and beta particles, and other atomic or nuclear particles or rays;

(B) emission of radiation from an electronic device to energy density levels that could reasonably cause bodily harm; or

(C) sonic, ultrasonic, or infrasonic waves emitted from an electronic device or resulting from the operation of an electronic circuit in an electronic device in the energy range to reasonably cause detectable bodily harm.

(18) "Radioactive material" means a naturally occurring or artificially produced solid, liquid, or gas that emits radiation spontaneously.

(19) "Radioactive substance" includes:

(A) by-product material;

(B) naturally occurring radioactive material waste, excluding oil and gas NORM waste;

(C) radioactive material;

(D) low-level radioactive waste;

(E) source material;

(F) source of radiation; and

(G) special nuclear material.

(20) Repealed by Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1367, Sec. 39, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.

(21) "Registration" includes:

(A) notice to the department of the service or use of an electronic product; and

(B) registration under Section 401.105.

(22) "Source material" means:

(A) uranium, thorium, or other material that the governor by order declares to be source material after the federal commission has determined the material to be source material; or

(B) ore that contains one or more of the materials listed in Subdivision (A) to the degree of concentration that the governor by order declares to be source material after the federal commission has determined the material to be of a degree of concentration to be source material.

(23) "Source of radiation" means radioactive material or a device or equipment that emits or is capable of producing radiation intentionally or incidentally.

(24) "Special nuclear material" means:

(A) plutonium, uranium 233, uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or the isotope 235, and any other material other than source material that the governor by order declares to be special nuclear material after the federal commission determines the material to be special nuclear material; or

(B) material other than source material that is artificially enriched by any of the materials listed in Subdivision (A).

(25) "Specific license" means a license, issued pursuant to an application, to use, manufacture, produce, transfer, receive, acquire, own, possess, process, or dispose of quantities of or devices or equipment using by-product, source, special nuclear, or other radioactive material.

(26) "Naturally occurring radioactive material waste" or "NORM waste" means solid, liquid, or gaseous material or combination of materials, excluding source material, special nuclear material, and by-product material, that:

(A) in its natural physical state spontaneously emits radiation;

(B) is discarded or unwanted; and

(C) is not exempt by department rule adopted under Section 401.106.

(27) "Oil and gas NORM waste" means solid, liquid, or gaseous material or combination of materials, excluding source material, special nuclear material, and by-product material, that:

(A) in its natural physical state spontaneously emits radiation;

(B) is discarded or unwanted;

(C) is not exempt by department rule adopted under Section 401.106; and

(D) constitutes, is contained in, or has contaminated oil and gas waste as that term is defined in Section 91.1011 of the Natural Resources Code.

Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 810, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1993; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 11.208, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1338, Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 1367, Sec. 1, 39, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1009, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 580, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1067, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Amended by:

Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1332 (S.B. 1604), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.0899, eff. April 2, 2015.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1 (S.B. 219), Sec. 3.1639(74), eff. April 2, 2015.

Acts 2021, 87th Leg., 2nd C.S., Ch. 2 (H.B. 7), Sec. 1, eff. September 9, 2021.