Section 1 Definitions
[Text of section effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2009 and ending December 31, 2017. See 2008, 206, Sec. 8.]
Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the following meanings:—
“Appellate tax board”, the board established by section 1 of chapter 58A.
“Average price”, the weighted average selling price per gallon of fuel exclusive of federal and state motor fuel taxes imposed thereon sold by licensees, as determined by the commissioner on a consistent basis from information furnished by distributors, unclassified exporters and unclassified importers with their monthly returns and from other statistical data reflecting the average level of such prices at the time such determination is made.
“Cellulosic biofuel”, fuel that may be used in place of petroleum-based fuel derived from cellulose, hemicellulose or lignin derived from renewable biomass.
“Commissioner”, the commissioner of revenue.
“Department”, the department of energy resources within the executive office of energy and environmental affairs.
“Distributor”, shall include: (1) any person qualified to do business in the commonwealth who produces, refines, manufactures or compounds fuel, as herein defined, or any person who operates a port or pipe line terminal within the commonwealth for the receipt of fuel, as herein defined; and (2) any person who elects to qualify as a distributor by importing into the commonwealth or by receiving within the commonwealth fuel, as herein defined, by pipe line, vessel, tank car or tank truck lots, for resale in pipe line, vessel, tank car or tank truck lots; provided, that no person under clause (2) shall qualify as a distributor unless his facilities is regularly used for the receipt and storage of fuel, as herein defined, are such that not less than 25,000 gallons may be stored in the aggregate, at 1 location within the commonwealth; and provided, further, that at least 75 per cent of the fuel imported or received by him is sold to others for resale exclusive of sales to government instrumentalities.
“Eligible cellulosic biofuel”, cellulosic biofuel that yields at least a 60 per cent reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions relative to average lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions for petroleum based fuel sold in 2005, as determined by the department in consultation with the department of environmental protection and the executive office of energy and environmental affairs.
“Feedstock”, raw material used to produce a fuel.
“Fuel”, all products commonly or commercially known or sold as gasoline, including casing-head and absorption or natural gasoline, regardless of their classification or uses; and any liquid prepared, for American Society Testing Materials Method D-86, not more than 9 per cent at 176° Fahrenheit, and which have a distillation range of 150° Fahrenheit, or less, or liquefied gases which would not exist as advertised, offered for sale, or sold for use as or commonly and commercially used as a fuel in internal combustion engines, which when subjected to distillation in accordance with the standard method of test for distillation of gasoline, naphtha, kerosene and similar petroleum products (American Society for Testing Materials Designation D-86) show not less than 10 per cent distilled (recovered) below 347° Fahrenheit (175° Centigrade) and not less than 95 per cent distilled (recovered) below 464° Fahrenheit (240° Centigrade); provided, that the term “fuel” shall not include industrial solvents or naphthas which distill, by said American Society liquids at a temperature of 60° Fahrenheit and a pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch absolute. For the purposes of this chapter, “fuel” shall include products sold or used as fuel for aircraft, except aircraft fuel as defined in section 1 of chapter 64J.
“Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions”, the aggregate quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, including direct emissions and significant indirect emissions such as significant emissions from and use changes, as determined by the department in consultation with the department of environmental protection and the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, related to the full fuel lifecycle, including all stages of fuel and feedstock production and distribution, from feedstock generation or extraction through the distribution and delivery and use of the finished fuel to the ultimate consumer, where the mass values for all greenhouse gases are adjusted to account for their relative global warming potential.
“Low carbon fuel standard”, a requirement that the average lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions attributable to use of energy in an economic sector are equal to or less than a specified numeric level, or a similar standard or system, such as the requirement contained in California Executive Order S-1-07. The level may be stated as units of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of delivered energy, corrected for differences in the efficiency of the energy in the particular end use; for example the difference between efficiency of a gasoline engine and an electric motor in powering a vehicle. The standard may apply to energy used in motor vehicles or to another energy consuming sector.
“Motor vehicle”, shall include any vehicle propelled by any power other than muscular, except boats, tractors used exclusively for agricultural purposes and such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks.
“Purchaser”, shall include, in addition to its usual meaning, a distributor and unclassified importer in the case of a transfer of fuel by a distributor or an unclassified importer into a motor vehicle, or into a receptacle from which fuel is supplied by him to his own or other motor vehicles.
“Renewable biomass”, non-fossil fuel based material, including: planted crops; crop residues; planted trees and tree residues from sustainably managed forests; waste materials including animal waste, animal by-products, organic portions of municipal solid waste, grease trap waste, construction and demolition debris; and algae, or as otherwise determined by the department, in consultation with the department of environmental protection and the executive office of energy and environmental affairs.
“Sale”, shall include, in addition to its usual meaning, the transfer of fuel by a distributor or an unclassified importer into a motor vehicle or into a receptacle from which fuel is supplied by him to his own or other motor vehicles.
“Tax per gallon”, shall be 21 cents per gallon. For aviation fuel, “tax per gallon” shall mean 71/2 per cent of the average price, as determined by the commissioner, for each calendar quarter, computed to the nearest tenth of a cent per gallon; provided, however, that such tax shall not be less than 10 cents per gallon.
“To sell”, in all of its moods and tenses, shall refer to a sale as herein defined.
“Unclassified importer”, any person who imports or causes to be imported fuel, as herein defined, for use, distribution or sale in the commonwealth, but who does not qualify as a distributor.
“Unclassified exporter”, any person licensed as a distributor in another state who exports or causes to be exported fuel, as herein defined, for use, distribution or sale outside the commonwealth, but who does not qualify as a distributor.
“Waste feedstock”, previously used or discarded solid, liquid or contained gaseous material with heating value resulting from industrial, commercial or household food service activities that would otherwise be stored, treated, transferred or disposed. Waste feedstock shall include, but not be limited to: waste vegetable oils, waste animal fats, substances derived from wastewater and the treatment of wastewater or grease trap waste. Waste feedstock shall not include petroleum-based waste or waste that otherwise meets the definition of hazardous waste, unless otherwise determined by the department of environmental protection.