§ 9.40 What do the terms used in this subpart mean? In addition to the definitions in 36 CFR 1.4, the following definitions apply to this subpart: *Area of operations* means lands or waters within a System unit on which your operations are approved to be carried out, including roads or other areas where you are authorized to exercise the oil and gas rights.
*Contaminating substance* means any toxic or hazardous substance which is used in or results from the conduct of operations and is listed under the Clean Water Act at 40 CFR part 116, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act at 40 CFR part 261, or the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act at 49 CFR part 172. This includes, but is not limited to, explosives, radioactive materials, brine waters, formation waters, petroleum products, petroleum by-products, and chemical compounds used for drilling, production, processing, well testing, well completion, and well servicing.
*Gas* means any fluid, either combustible or noncombustible, which is produced in a natural state from the earth and which maintains a gaseous or rarefied state at ordinary temperature and pressure conditions.
*Oil* means any viscous combustible liquid hydrocarbon or solid hydrocarbon substance easily liquefiable on warming that occurs naturally in the earth, including drip gasoline or other natural condensates recovered from gas without resort to manufacturing process.
*Operations* means all existing and proposed functions, work, and activities in connection with the exercise of oil or gas rights not owned by the United States and located or occurring within a System unit outside of Alaska. ( 1 ) Operations include, but are not limited to: Access by any means to or from an area of operations; construction; geological and geophysical exploration; drilling, well servicing, workover, or recompletion; production; gathering (including installation and maintenance of flowlines and gathering lines); storage, transport, or processing of petroleum products; earth moving; excavation; hauling; disposal; surveillance, inspection, monitoring, or maintenance of wells, facilities, and equipment; reclamation; road and pad building or improvement; shot hole and well plugging and abandonment, and reclamation; and all other activities incident to any of the foregoing.
( 2 ) Operations do not include reconnaissance surveys as defined in this subpart or oil and gas pipelines that are located within the System unit under authority of a deeded or other right-of-way.
*Operations permit* means an NPS special use permit authorizing an operator to conduct operations in a System unit.
*Operator* means any person or entity, agent, assignee, designee, lessee, or representative thereof who is conducting operations or proposing to exercise non-federal oil and gas rights within the boundaries of a System unit outside of Alaska.
*Owner* means the person that holds title to non-federal oil or gas rights.
*Previously exempt operations* means those operations being conducted in a System unit without an approved permit from the NPS as of December 5, 2016, except operations for which the NPS had granted the operator an exemption to the plan of operations requirement before such date, because the operator accessed oil and gas rights inside the System unit from a surface location outside the System unit.
*Reconnaissance survey* means an inspection or survey conducted by qualified specialists for the purpose of preparing a permit application. ( 1 ) A reconnaissance survey includes identification of the area of operations and collection of natural and cultural resource information within and adjacent to the proposed area of operations.
( 2 ) Except for the minimal surface disturbance necessary to perform cultural resource surveys, natural resource surveys, and location surveys required under this subpart, surface disturbance activities are beyond the scope of a reconnaissance survey.
*Right to operate* means a deed, lease, memorandum of lease, designation of operator, assignment of right, or other documentation demonstrating that you hold a legal right to conduct the operations you are proposing within a System unit.
*Technologically feasible, least damaging methods* are those that we determine to be most protective of park resources and values while ensuring human health and safety, taking into consideration all relevant factors, including environmental, economic, and technological factors and the requirements of applicable law.
*Temporary access permit* means an NPS special use permit authorizing an operator to access the proposed area of operations to conduct reconnaissance surveys necessary to collect basic information necessary to prepare an operations permit application.
*Third-party monitor* means a qualified specialist who is not an employee, agent, or representative of the operator and who has the relevant expertise to monitor operations for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and permit requirements.
*Usable water* means an aquifer or its portion that: ( 1 ) ( i ) Supplies any public water system; or
( ii ) Contains a sufficient quantity of ground water to supply a public water system and either: ( A ) Currently supplies drinking water for human consumption; or
( B ) Contains fewer than 10,000 mg/l total dissolved solids; and
( 2 ) Is not an exempted aquifer under state law.
*Waste* means any material that is discarded. It includes, but is not limited to: drilling fluids and cuttings; produced fluids not under regulation as a contaminating substance; human waste; garbage; fuel drums; pipes; oil; contaminated soil; synthetic materials; man-made structures or equipment; or native and nonnative materials.
*We* and *us* mean the National Park Service.
*You* and *I* mean the operator, unless otherwise specified or indicated by the context.