Terms Used In Virginia Code > Title 6.2 > Subtitle II > Chapter 8 > Article 3 - Conduct of Trust Business by Banks.

• Advanced conductors: means hardware technology that can conduct electricity across transmission lines and that demonstrates enhanced performance over traditional conductor products. See Virginia Code 56-597
• Affected customer: means any customer of a natural gas utility receiving service at a premises served by eligible system expansion infrastructure. See Virginia Code 56-610
• Allowed distribution revenue: means the average annual, weather-normalized, nongas commodity revenue per customer associated with the rates in effect as adopted in the applicable utility's last Commission-approved rate case or performance-based regulation plan, multiplied by the average number of customers served. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Bank: means a corporation authorized by statute to accept deposits and to hold itself out to the public as engaged in the banking business in the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 6.2-800
• Candidate: means a person who seeks or campaigns for an office of the Commonwealth or one of its governmental units in a general, primary, or special election and who is qualified to have his name placed on the ballot for the office. See Virginia Code 24.2-101
• City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 56-603
• Commission: means the Marine Resources Commission. See Virginia Code 28.2-100
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 6.2-100
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 56-1
• Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 56-576
• Commissioner: means the Commissioner of Marine Resources. See Virginia Code 28.2-100
• company: includes all corporations created by acts of the General Assembly of Virginia, or under the general incorporation laws of this Commonwealth, or doing business therein, and shall exclude all municipal corporations, other political subdivisions, and public institutions owned or controlled by the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 56-1
• Conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan: means a plan filed by a natural gas utility pursuant to this chapter that includes a decoupling mechanism. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Cost-effective conservation and energy efficiency program: means a program approved by the Commission that is designed to decrease the average customer's annual, weather-normalized consumption of energy, for gas and nongas elements combined, or avoid energy costs or consumption the customer may otherwise have incurred, and is determined by the Commission to be cost-effective if the net present value of the benefits exceeds the net present value of the costs at the portfolio level as determined by not less than any three of the following four tests: the Total Resource Cost Test, the Program Administrator Test (also referred to as the Utility Cost Test), the Participant Test, and the Ratepayer Impact Measure Test. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Covered voter: means :

  a. See Virginia Code 24.2-452

• Decoupling mechanism: means a rate, tariff design or mechanism that decouples the recovery of a utility's allowed distribution revenue from the level of consumption of natural gas by its customers, including (i) a mechanism that adjusts actual nongas distribution revenues per customer to allowed distribution revenues per customer, such as a sales adjustment clause, (ii) rate design changes that substantially align the percentage of fixed charge revenue recovery with the percentage of the utility's fixed costs, such as straight fixed variable rates, provided such mechanism includes a substantial demand component based on a customer's peak usage, or (iii) a combination of clauses (i) and (ii) that substantially decreases the relative amount of nongas distribution revenue affected by changes in per customer consumption of gas. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Demand response: means measures aimed at shifting time of use of electricity from peak-use periods to times of lower demand by inducing retail customers to curtail electricity usage during periods of congestion and higher prices in the electrical grid. See Virginia Code 56-576
• Department: means the state agency headed by the Commissioner of Elections. See Virginia Code 24.2-101
• Distribution facilities: includes poles and wires, or cables, or pipelines or other underground conduits by which a renewable generator is able to (i) supply electricity generated at its renewable energy facility to the electric distribution grid, (ii) distribute steam generated at its renewable energy facility to customers, or (iii) supply landfill gas it collects to customers or a natural gas distribution or transmission pipeline. See Virginia Code 56-614
• Election: means a general, primary, or special election. See Virginia Code 24.2-101
• Electric utility: means any person that generates, transmits, or distributes electric energy for use by retail customers in the Commonwealth, including any investor-owned electric utility, cooperative electric utility, or electric utility owned or operated by a municipality. See Virginia Code 56-576
• Electric utility: means any investor-owned public utility that provides electric energy for use by retail customers, except investor-owned utilities subject to the provisions of § Virginia Code 56-597
• Eligible expansion investment: means that portion of the total capital investment made by a natural gas utility in constructing eligible system expansion infrastructure that is in excess of those costs that would be considered economic under a natural gas utility's economic test, net of any contributions in aid of construction, up to the maximum level of investment per affected customer specified in a system expansion plan. See Virginia Code 56-610
• Eligible infrastructure: means storage, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, transmission and distribution facilities to be used in the delivery of natural gas, or supplemental or substitute forms of gas sources by a natural gas utility. See Virginia Code 56-605
• Eligible infrastructure replacement: includes natural gas utility facility replacement projects that are identified as a result of an enhanced leak detection and repair program. See Virginia Code 56-603
• Eligible infrastructure replacement costs: includes the following:

  1. See Virginia Code 56-603

• Eligible system expansion infrastructure: means natural gas main pipelines and associated facilities, including service lines, meters, and other pertinent facilities, that are constructed and operated by a natural gas utility to deliver natural gas service to affected customers located in an unserved area. See Virginia Code 56-610
• Eligible system expansion infrastructure costs: includes :

  1. See Virginia Code 56-610

• Energy efficiency program: means a program that reduces the total amount of energy that is required for the same process or activity implemented after the expiration of capped rates but does not include electrification of any process or activity primarily fueled by natural gas. See Virginia Code 56-576
• Enhanced leak detection and repair program: means a program that is designed to allow a natural gas utility to deploy advanced leak detection technologies to more accurately identify active leaks as part of the natural gas utility's leak management program and to prioritize the repair of leaks that present a risk to safety or the environment. See Virginia Code 56-603
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Federal postcard application: means the application prescribed under § 101(b)(2) of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, Virginia Code 24.2-452
• Federal write-in absentee ballot: means the ballot described in § 103 of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, Virginia Code 24.2-452
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• Fixed costs: means any and all of the utility's nongas costs of service, together with an authorized return thereon, that are not associated with the cost of the natural gas commodity flowing through and measured by the customer's meter. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Grid-enhancing technologies: means a set of technologies that maximize the transmission of electricity across the electric distribution grid in a manner that ensures grid reliability and safeguards the cybersecurity and physical security of the electric distribution grid, including storage as a transmission asset, dynamic line rating, power flow control, and topology optimization. See Virginia Code 56-597
• in writing: include any representation of words, letters, symbols, numbers, or figures, whether (i) printed or inscribed on a tangible medium or (ii) stored in an electronic or other medium and retrievable in a perceivable form and whether an electronic signature authorized by Virginia Code 1-257
• Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
• Incumbent electric utility: means each electric utility in the Commonwealth that, prior to July 1, 1999, supplied electric energy to retail customers located in an exclusive service territory established by the Commission. See Virginia Code 56-576
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Investment: means costs incurred on eligible infrastructure replacement projects including planning, development, and construction costs; costs of infrastructure associated therewith; and an allowance for funds used during construction. See Virginia Code 56-603
• Investment: means costs incurred to deploy eligible infrastructure including planning, development, and construction costs and, if applicable, an allowance for funds used during construction. See Virginia Code 56-605
• IRP: means a document developed by an electric utility that provides a forecast of its load obligations and a plan to meet those obligations by supply side and demand side resources over the ensuing 15 years to promote reasonable prices, reliable service, energy independence, and environmental responsibility. See Virginia Code 56-597
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Locality: means the same as that term is defined in § Virginia Code 56-614
• Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
• Measure: means an individual item, service, offering, or rebate available to a customer of a natural gas utility as part of the utility's conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Month: means a calendar month and "year" means a calendar year. See Virginia Code 1-223
• Natural gas utility: means an investor-owned public service company engaged in the business of furnishing natural gas service to the public. See Virginia Code 56-605
• Natural gas utility: means any investor-owned public service company engaged in the business of furnishing natural gas service to the public. See Virginia Code 56-603
• Natural gas utility: means any investor-owned public service company engaged in the business of furnishing natural gas service to the public. See Virginia Code 56-610
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Officer: means a member of the Virginia Marine Police. See Virginia Code 28.2-100
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
• Person: means natural persons, firms, associations, cooperatives, corporations, limited liability companies, business trusts, partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. See Virginia Code 56-605
• Person: includes individuals, partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations. See Virginia Code 56-1
• political party: means an organization of citizens of the Commonwealth which, at either of the two preceding statewide general elections, received at least 10 percent of the total vote cast for any statewide office filled in that election. See Virginia Code 24.2-101
• Portfolio: means the program or programs included in a natural gas utility's conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Process: includes subpoenas, the summons and complaint in a civil action, and process in statutory actions. See Virginia Code 1-237
• Program: means a group of one or more related measures for a customer class. See Virginia Code 56-600
• Public rights-of-way use fee: means the fee chargeable to a renewable generator for the occupation and use of public streets, roads, highways, works, turnpikes, streets, avenues, and alleys in the Commonwealth by a locality or the Commonwealth Transportation Board for a renewable generator for its distribution facilities. See Virginia Code 56-614
• Qualifying project: means an economic development project requiring natural gas service as to which the natural gas utility has made a good faith determination that the following criteria are satisfied:

  1. See Virginia Code 56-605

• Rate: means rate charged for any service rendered or to be rendered. See Virginia Code 56-1
• regulation: include joint rates, joint charges and joint regulations, respectively. See Virginia Code 56-1
• Renewable energy facility: means (i) an electrical generation facility that produces not more than 2 megawatts peak net power output to the distribution grid, which electricity is generated only from a renewable energy source; (ii) a steam reduction facility with a rated capacity of not more than 5,000 mmBtus per hour that produces steam only from a renewable energy source; or (iii) a solid waste management facility permitted by the Department of Environmental Quality from which landfill gas is transmitted or distributed off premises. See Virginia Code 56-614
• Renewable energy source: means energy derived from any source specified in the definition of renewable energy in § 56-576. See Virginia Code 56-614
• Renewable generator: means a person that (i) does not have the power of a public service corporation to acquire rights-of-way, easements, or other interests in lands as provided in § 56-49 and (ii) operates a renewable energy facility. See Virginia Code 56-614
• Restrictions or requirements concerning the use of the public rights-of-way: includes permitting processes; requirements regarding notice, time, and location of excavations and repair work; enforcement of the statewide building code; and inspections but does not include any existing franchise fee or public rights-of-way use fee. See Virginia Code 56-614
• Revenue-neutral: means a change in a rate, tariff design or mechanism as a component of a conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan that does not shift annualized allowed distribution revenue between customer classes, and does not increase or decrease the utility's average, weather-normalized nongas utility revenue per customer for any given rate class by more than 0. See Virginia Code 56-600
• SAVE: means Steps to Advance Virginia's Energy Plan. See Virginia Code 56-603
• SAVE plan: means a plan filed by a natural gas utility that identifies proposed eligible infrastructure replacement projects and a SAVE rider. See Virginia Code 56-603
• SAVE rider: means a recovery mechanism that will allow for recovery of the eligible infrastructure replacement costs, through a separate mechanism from the customer rates established in a rate case using the cost of service methodology set forth in § Virginia Code 56-603
• Shoals: means subaqueous elevations covered by water less than four feet deep at mean low water. See Virginia Code 28.2-200
• State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Virginia Code 24.2-452
• State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
• System expansion plan: means a plan filed by a natural gas utility that identifies the level of eligible system expansion infrastructure costs that are projected to be incurred over the term of the plan and provides the calculation of a system expansion rider. See Virginia Code 56-610
• System expansion rider: means a recovery mechanism that will allow for recovery of the eligible system expansion infrastructure costs from affected customers, through a separate mechanism from the customer rates established in a rate case using the cost-of-service methodology set forth in § Virginia Code 56-610
• Total annual energy savings: means (i) the total combined kilowatt-hour savings achieved by electric utility energy efficiency and demand response programs and measures installed in that program year, as well as savings still being achieved by measures and programs implemented in prior years, or (ii) savings attributable to newly installed combined heat and power facilities, including waste heat-to-power facilities, and any associated reduction in transmission line losses, provided that biomass is not a fuel and the total efficiency, including the use of thermal energy, for eligible combined heat and power facilitates must meet or exceed 65 percent and have a nameplate capacity rating of less than 25 megawatts. See Virginia Code 56-576
• Town: means any existing town or an incorporated community within one or more counties which became a town before noon, July 1, 1971, as provided by law or which has within defined boundaries a population of 1,000 or more and which has become a town as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-254
• Trust business: has the meaning assigned to it in § Virginia Code 6.2-800
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• User fees: Fees charged to users of goods or services provided by the government. In levying or authorizing these fees, the legislature determines whether the revenue should go into the treasury or should be available to the agency providing the goods or services.
• utility: means any investor-owned public service company engaged in the business of furnishing natural gas service to the public. See Virginia Code 56-600