Terms Used In West Virginia Code > Chapter 15 > Article 5C - Reporting of Emergency Incidents by Well and Pipeline Operators

• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• 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.
• Director: means the Director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}
• Incident: means :

  (A) An injury to an individual at a well, well pad or pipeline facility that results in death or serious bodily injury or that has a reasonable potential to cause death. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1

• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Pipeline facility: means , without limitation, new and existing pipe, pipe rights-of-way and any equipment, facility, or building used in the transportation of oil or natural gas or the treatment of oil or natural gas during the course of transportation: Provided, That the term "pipeline facility" shall not include pipelines of four inches or less, measuring the inside diameter, that service a farm, commercial structure or residence. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1
• Pipeline operator: means any person or persons, firm, partnership, independent contractor, company or corporation that constructs, maintains or operates a pipeline facility. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1
• Well: means any shaft or hole sunk, drilled, bored or dug into the earth or into underground strata for the extraction or injection or placement of any liquid, oil or natural gas, or any shaft or hole sunk or used in conjunction with such extraction or injection or placement. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1
• Well operator: means any person or persons, firm, partnership, independent contractor, company or corporation that drills or engages in hydraulic fracturing for any liquid, oil or natural gas, or that completes or operates wells to produce any liquid, oil or natural gas. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1
• Well pad: means any area constructed and maintained for use to create a well. See West Virginia Code 15-5C-1