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            As used in this Subpart, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this Section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

            (1) “Administrative costs” means costs incurred by the Department of Energy and Natural Resources in the administration of the program, including but not limited to:

            (a) Program startup costs.

            (b) Financial administrative costs of servicing loans and issuing debt.

            (c) Costs associated with establishing assistance priorities and carrying out oversight and related activities other than financial administration.

            (d) Financial, management, and legal consulting fees.

            (e) Any reasonable and necessary expense that the department determines is necessary to effectively administer the program.

            (2) “Alternative fuel” means a fuel which results in emissions of oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, or particulates, or any combination of these which are comparably lower than emissions from gasoline or diesel and which meets or exceeds federal clean air standards, including but not limited to compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, biofuel, biodiesel, methanol, ethanol, and electricity.

            (3) “Alternative Fuel Vehicle Revolving Loan Fund” means the revolving loan fund provided for pursuant to this Subpart.

            (4) “Conversion to qualified clean fuel vehicles” or “fleet conversion” means both of the following:

            (a) The installation of qualified clean fuel vehicle equipment in order to modify all or a portion of a local governing authority‘s fleet of motor vehicles which are propelled by gasoline or diesel so that the motor vehicles may be partially or wholly propelled by an alternative fuel.

            (b) The purchase at retail of new motor vehicles by a local governing authority which are originally equipped at purchase with qualified clean fuel vehicle equipment.

            (5) “Cost of conversion to a qualified clean fuel vehicle” means both of the following:

            (a) The retail cost paid by a local governing authority for the purchase and installation of qualified clean fuel vehicle equipment in order to modify all or a portion of a fleet of the local government’s motor vehicles which are propelled by gasoline or diesel so that they may be partially or wholly propelled by an alternative fuel.

            (b) The cost to a local governing authority of new motor vehicles purchased at retail which are originally equipped at purchase to be partially or wholly propelled by an alternative fuel, but only for the cost of that portion of the motor vehicle which is attributable to the storage of the alternative fuel, the delivery of the alternative fuel to the engine of the motor vehicle, and the exhaust of gases from combustion of the alternative.

            (6) “Department” means the Department of Energy and Natural Resources.

            (7) “Federal assistance under a state transportation plan” means federal matching funds or other federal money which may be available under a State Implementation Plan (SIP), maintenance plan, or other transportation plan of the Department of Transportation and Development, a Metropolitan Planning Organization, or other state entity pursuant to the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program funding which provides funds for public fleet conversions to cleaner fuels.

            (8) “Loan” means a loan of money from the Alternative Fuel Revolving Loan Fund for eligible costs of the conversion of a fleet of motor vehicles of a local governing authority to qualified clean fuel vehicles.

            (9) “Local governing authority” means the governing authority of a parish, municipality, school board, port or port harbor and terminal district, levee district, or any other political subdivision of the state, and the governing authorities of their agencies, offices, or instrumentalities.

            (10) “Net proceeds” means the funds raised from the sale of bonds minus issuance costs, which costs include but are not limited to the underwriting discount, printing of disclosure documents, bond certificates, and the fees of the underwriter’s legal counsel, bond counsel, financial advisor, rating agency, and trustee banks.

            (11) “Program” means the Alternative Fuel Revolving Loan Fund Program as established by this Subpart.

            (12) “Qualified clean fuel vehicle equipment” means equipment necessary for a motor vehicle to partially or wholly operate on an alternative fuel, but shall not include equipment necessary for operation of a motor vehicle on gasoline or diesel.

            Acts 2010, No. 118, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2023, No. 150, §8, eff. Jan. 10, 2024.