Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 470 § 470.050 — Definitions

Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Alternative fuel project” means: (a) Equipment, including vehicles that are not used primarily for personal, family or household purposes, that is modified or acquired directly from a factory and that: (A) Uses an alternative fuel including electricity, biofuel, gasohol with at least 20 percent denatured alcohol content, hydrogen, hythane, methane, methanol, natural gas, propane or any other fuel approved by the Director of the State Department of Energy; and (B) Produces lower exhaust emissions or is more energy efficient than equivalent equipment fueled by gasoline or diesel; and (b) A facility, including a fueling station, or equipment necessary to produce alternative fuel or operate equipment that uses an alternative fuel. (2) “Applicant” means an applicant for a loan to construct a small scale local energy project. (3) “Base efficiency package” means the package of energy efficiency upgrades or renewable energy projects for a property that, when energy savings, project repayment costs, tax or other incentives, loan offset grants and other relevant economic factors are considered, is estimated to not increase the utility bill of the customer over the loan repayment term. (4) “Committee” means the Small Scale Local Energy Project Advisory Committee created under ORS 470.070. (5) “Cooperative” means a cooperative corporation organized under ORS chapter 62. (6) “Director” means the Director of the State Department of Energy appointed under ORS 469.040. (7) “Eligible federal agency” means a federal agency or public corporation created by the federal government that proposes to use a loan for a small scale local energy project. “Eligible federal agency” does not include a federal agency or public corporation created by the federal government that proposes to use a loan for a small scale local energy project to generate electricity for sale. (8) “Eligible state agency” means a state officer, board, commission, department, institution, branch or agency of the state whose costs are paid wholly or in part from funds held in the State Treasury. (9) “Energy efficiency and sustainable technology loan” means a loan for a small scale local energy project that is repayable by means of: (a) A charge included with the participant’s utility customer account billing; or (b) An alternative repayment method identified by the department and the borrower and specified in the loan agreement. (10) “Energy Project Bond Loan Fund” means the fund established under ORS 470.580. (11) “Energy Project Supplemental Fund” means the fund established under ORS 470.570. (12) “Energy Revenue Bond Repayment Fund” means the fund established under ORS 470.585. (13) “Energy savings projection” means an examination of the energy performance and site characteristics of a property that, at a minimum, identifies: (a) A base efficiency package; and (b) Any additional optional measures that a customer is able to repay and that the sustainable energy project manager believes to be feasible for the site. (14) “Jobs, Energy and Schools Fund” means the fund established under ORS 470.575. (15) “Loan” includes the purchase or other acquisition of evidence of indebtedness and money used for the purchase or other acquisition of evidence of indebtedness. (16) “Loan contract” means the evidence of indebtedness and all instruments used in the purchase or acquisition of the evidence of indebtedness. For eligible federal or state agencies or municipal corporations that are tax exempt entities, a loan contract may include a lease purchase agreement with respect to personal property. (17) “Loan offset grant” means moneys from the Jobs, Energy and Schools Fund that are used to help offset the initial project costs or loan payments for energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy conservation projects. (18) “Loan repayment charge” means an amount charged to a utility customer account through on-bill financing as a mechanism for the repayment of an energy efficiency and sustainable technology loan. (19) “Municipal corporation” has the meaning given in ORS 297.405 and also includes any Indian tribe or authorized Indian tribal organization or any combination of two or more of these tribes or organizations acting jointly in connection with a small scale local energy project. (20) “On-bill financing” means a mechanism for collecting the repayment of an energy efficiency and sustainable technology loan through a utility customer account billing system. (21) “Optional package” means measures for promoting energy efficiency or the use of renewable energy: (a) That are in addition to the measures described in the customer’s base efficiency package; (b) For which a customer has the ability to repay; and (c) That the sustainable energy project manager believes to be feasible for the site. (22) “Oregon business” means a sole