As used in sections 260.005 to 260.125, the following words and terms mean:

(1) “Authority”, the state environmental improvement and energy resources authority created by sections 260.005 to 260.125;

(2) “Bonds”, bonds issued by the authority pursuant to the provisions of sections 260.005 to 260.125;

(3) “Cost”, the expense of the acquisition of land, rights-of-way, easements and other interests in real property and the expense of acquiring or constructing buildings, improvements, machinery and equipment relating to any project, including the cost of demolishing or removing any existing structures, interest during the construction of any project and engineering, research, legal, consulting and other expenses necessary or incident to determining the feasibility or practicability of any project and carrying out the same, all of which are to be paid out of the proceeds of the bonds or notes authorized by sections 260.005 to 260.125;

(4) “Disposal of solid waste or sewage”, the entire process of storage, collection, transportation, processing and disposal of solid wastes or sewage;

(5) “Energy conservation”, the reduction of energy consumption;

(6) “Energy efficiency”, the increased productivity or effectiveness of energy resources use, the reduction of energy consumption, or the use of renewable energy sources;

(7) “Notes”, notes issued by the authority pursuant to sections 260.005 to 260.125;

(8) “Pollution”, the placing of any noxious substance in the air or waters or on the lands of this state in sufficient quantity and of such amounts, characteristics and duration as to injure or harm the public health or welfare or animal life or property;

(9) “Project”, any facility, including land, disposal areas, incinerators, buildings, fixtures, machinery, equipment, and devices or modifications to a building or facility, acquired or constructed, or to be acquired or constructed for the purpose of developing energy resources or preventing or reducing pollution or the disposal of solid waste or sewage or providing water facilities or resource recovery facilities or carrying out energy efficiency modifications in, but not limited to, buildings owned by the state or providing for energy conservation or increased energy efficiency;

(10) “Resource recovery”, the recovery of material or energy from solid waste;

(11) “Resource recovery facility”, any facility at which solid waste is processed for the purpose of extracting, converting to energy, or otherwise separating and preparing solid waste for reuse;

(12) “Resource recovery system”, a solid waste management system which provides for collection, separation, recycling, and recovery of solid wastes, including disposal of nonrecoverable waste residues;

(13) “Revenues”, all rents, installment payments on notes, interest on loans, revenues, charges and other income received by the authority in connection with any project and any gift, grant, or appropriation received by the authority with respect thereto;

(14) “Sewage”, any liquid or gaseous waste resulting from industrial, commercial, agricultural or community activities in such amounts, characteristics and duration as to injure or harm the public health or welfare or animal life or property;

(15) “Solid waste”, garbage, refuse, discarded materials and undesirable solid and semisolid residual matter resulting from industrial, commercial, agricultural or community activities in such amounts, characteristics and duration as to injure or harm the public health or welfare or animal life or property;

(16) “Synthetic fuels”, any solid, liquid, or gas or combination thereof, which can be used as a substitute for petroleum or natural gas (or any derivatives thereof, including chemical feedstocks) and which is produced by chemical or physical transformation (other than washing, coking, or desulfurizing) of domestic sources of coal, including lignite and peat; shale; tar sands, including heavy oils; water as a source of hydrogen only through electrolysis, and mixtures of coal and combustible liquids including petroleum; and

(17) “Water facilities”, any facilities for the furnishing of water for industrial, commercial, agricultural or community purposes including, but not limited to, wells, reservoirs, dams, pumping stations, water lines, sewer lines, treatment plants, stabilization ponds, storm sewers, related equipment and machinery.