In this Act, unless the context otherwise clearly requires, the terms used herein shall have the meanings ascribed to them as follows:
     (a) “Bonds” means any bonds, notes, debentures, temporary, interim or permanent certificates of indebtedness or other obligations evidencing indebtedness.
     (b) “Directing body” means the members of the State authority.
     (c) “Environmental facility” or “facilities” means any land, interest in land, building, structure, facility, system, fixture, improvement, appurtenance, machinery, equipment or any combination thereof, and all real and personal property deemed necessary therewith, having to do with or the primary purpose of which is, reducing, controlling or preventing pollution, or reclaiming surface mined land. Environmental facilities may be located anywhere in this State and may include those facilities or processes used to (i) remove potential pollutants from coal prior to combustion, (ii) reduce the volume or composition of hazardous waste by changing or replacing manufacturing equipment or processes, (iii) recycle hazardous waste, or (iv) recover resources from hazardous waste. Environmental facilities may also include (i) solar collectors, solar storage mechanisms and solar energy systems, as defined in Section 10-5 of the Property Tax Code; (ii) facilities designed to collect, store, transfer, or distribute, for residential, commercial or industrial use, heat energy which is a by-product of industrial or energy generation processes and which would otherwise be wasted; (iii) facilities designed to remove pollutants from emissions that result from the combustion of coal; and (iv) facilities for the combustion of coal in a fluidized bed boiler. Environmental facilities may be located outside of the State, provided that the environmental facility must either (i) be owned, operated, leased, or managed by an entity located within the State or an entity affiliated with an entity located within the State or (ii) substantially reduce, control, and prevent the environmental damage and pollution within the State. Environmental facilities include landfill gas recovery facilities, as defined in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.
     Environmental facilities do not include any land, interest in land, buildings, structure, facility, system, fixture, improvement, appurtenance, machinery, equipment or any combination thereof, and all real and personal property deemed necessary therewith, having to do with a hazardous waste disposal site, except where such land, interest in land, buildings, structure, facility, system, fixture, improvement, appurtenance, machinery, equipment, real or personal property are used for the management or recovery of gas generated by a hazardous waste disposal site or are used for recycling, reclamation, tank storage or treatment in tanks which occurs on the same site as a hazardous waste disposal site.
     (d) “Finance” or “financing” means the issuing of revenue bonds pursuant to Section 9 of this Act by the State authority for the purpose of using the proceeds to pay project costs for an environmental or hazardous waste treatment facility including one in or to which title at all times remains in a person other than the State authority, in which case the bonds of the Authority are secured by a pledge of one or more notes, debentures, bonds or other obligations, secured or unsecured, of any person.
     (e) “Person” means any individual, partnership, copartnership, firm, company, corporation (including public utilities), association, joint stock company, trust, estate, political subdivision, state agency, or any other legal entity, or their legal representative, agent or assigns.
     (f) “Pollution” means any form of environmental pollution including, but not limited to, water pollution, air pollution, land pollution, solid waste pollution, thermal pollution, radiation contamination, or noise pollution as determined by the various standards prescribed by this state or the federal government and including but not limited to, anything which is considered as pollution or environmental damage in the Environmental Protection Act, approved June 29, 1970, as now or hereafter amended.
     (g) “Project costs” as applied to environmental or hazardous waste treatment facilities financed under this Act means and includes the sum total of all reasonable or necessary costs incidental to the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, repair, alteration, improvement and extension of such environmental or hazardous waste treatment facilities including without limitation the cost of studies and surveys; plans, specifications, architectural and engineering services; legal, organization, marketing or other special services; financing, acquisition, demolition, construction, equipment and site development of new and rehabilitated buildings; rehabilitation, reconstruction, repair or remodeling of existing buildings and all other necessary and incidental expenses including an initial bond and interest reserve together with interest on bonds issued to finance such environmental or hazardous waste treatment facilities to a date 6 months subsequent to the estimated date of completion.
     (h) “State authority” or “authority” means the Illinois Finance Authority created by the Illinois Finance Authority Act.
     (i) “Small business” or “small businesses” means those commercial and manufacturing entities which at the time of their application to the authority meet those criteria, as interpreted and applied by the State authority, for definition as a “small business” established for the Small Business Administration and set forth as Section 121.3-10 of Part 121 of Title 13 of the Code of Federal Regulations as such Section is in effect on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1975.
     (j) “New coal-fired electric utility steam generating plants” and “new coal-fired industrial boilers” means those plants and boilers on which construction begins after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1981.
     (k) “Hazardous waste treatment facility” means any land, interest in land, building, structure, facility, system, fixture, improvement, appurtenance, machinery, equipment, or any combination thereof, and all real and personal property deemed necessary therewith, the primary purpose of which is to recycle, incinerate, or physically, chemically, biologically or otherwise treat hazardous wastes, or to reduce the production of hazardous wastes by changing or replacing manufacturing equipment or processes, and which meets the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act and all regulations adopted thereunder.
     (l) The term “significant presence” means the existence within the State of the national or regional headquarters of an entity or group or such other facility of an entity or group of entities where a significant amount of the business functions are performed for such entity or group of entities.