§1103. Definitions

            Unless the context otherwise requires, the words defined in this Section have the following meaning when found in this Chapter:

            (1) "Area of review" means the region surrounding a geologic sequestration project where underground sources of drinking water may be endangered by the injection activity and is delineated using computational modeling that accounts for the physical and chemical properties of all phases of the injected carbon dioxide stream and displaced fluids and is based on available site characterization, monitoring, and operational data.

            (2) "Carbon dioxide" means naturally occurring, geologically sourced, or anthropogenically sourced carbon dioxide including its derivatives and all mixtures, combinations, and phases, whether liquid or gaseous, stripped, segregated, or divided from any other fluid stream thereof.

            (3) "Commissioner" has the same meaning as provided in R.S. 30:3.

            (4) "Confidential business information" means any information accepted or determined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to be subject to confidential treatment.

            (5) "Gas" has the same meaning as provided in R.S. 30:3.

            (6) "Geologic sequestration project" means an injection well or wells used to emplace a carbon dioxide stream beneath the lowermost formation containing an underground source of drinking water or wells used for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide that have received an expansion to the areal extent of an existing Class II enhanced oil recovery or enhanced gas recovery aquifer exemption and includes the subsurface three-dimensional extent of the carbon dioxide plume, associated area of elevated pressure, and displaced fluids and the surface area above that delineated region.

            (7) "Geologic storage" means the long- or short-term underground storage of carbon dioxide in a reservoir.

            (8) "Interested person" means any person who presently owns an interest within the area of, or proximate to, the tracts directly affected by the storage facility.

            (9) "Landowner" means any person who owns the surface and subsurface of land or water bottoms used for geologic storage, injection, or transportation of carbon dioxide who is not the owner or operator of the storage facility or carbon dioxide transmission pipeline or the generator of the carbon dioxide being handled by either the facility or pipeline. The term "landowner" as used in this Chapter does not include the state.

            (10) "Office" means the office of conservation of the Department of Energy and Natural Resources.

            (11) "Oil" has the same meaning as provided in R.S. 30:3.

            (12) "Person" means any natural person, corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, or other entity, receiver, tutor, curator, executor, administrator, fiduciary, or representative of any kind.

            (13) "Reservoir" means that portion of any underground geologic stratum, formation, aquifer, or cavity or void, whether natural or artificially created, including oil and gas reservoirs, salt domes or other saline formations, and coal and coalbed methane seams, suitable for or capable of being made suitable for the injection and storage of carbon dioxide therein.

            (14) "Storage facility" means the underground reservoir, carbon dioxide injection wells, monitoring wells, underground equipment, and surface buildings and equipment utilized in the storage operation. The underground reservoir component of the storage facility includes any necessary and reasonable aerial buffer and subsurface monitoring zones designated by the commissioner for the purpose of ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the storage facility for the storage of carbon dioxide and shall be chosen to protect against pollution, and escape or migration of carbon dioxide.

            (15) "Storage operator" means the person recognized by the commissioner as the operator of a proposed or existing storage facility. A storage operator can, but need not be, the owner of carbon dioxide injected into a storage facility. Ownership of carbon dioxide and use of geologic storage is a matter of private contract between the storage operator and owner, shipper, or generator of carbon dioxide, as applicable.

            (16) "Waste", in addition to its ordinary meaning, means "physical waste" as that term is generally understood in the storage industry.

            Acts 2009, No. 517, §2; Acts 2020, No. 61, §1; Acts 2021, No. 326, §1; Acts 2023, No. 150, §5, eff. Jan. 10, 2024; Acts 2024, No. 461, §1; Acts 2024, No. 620, §2; Acts 2024, No. 702, §1, eff. June 19, 2024.