This article contains uniform usage and definitions of terms under SEPA. The county adopts the following sections by reference, as supplemented by WAC 173-806-040:
Definitions.
Act.
Action.
Addendum.
Adoption.
Affected tribe.
Affecting.
Agency.
Applicant.
Built environment.
Categorical exemption.
Closed record appeal.
Consolidated appeal.
Consulted agency.
Cost-benefit analysis.
County/city.
Decision maker.
Department.
Determination of nonsignificance (DNS).
Determination of significance (DS).
EIS.
Environment.
Environmental checklist.
Environmental document.
Environmental review.
Expanded scoping.
Impacts.
Incorporation by reference.
Lands covered by water.
Lead agency.
License.
Local agency.
Major action.
Mitigated DNS.
Mitigation.
Natural environment.
NEPA.
Nonproject.
Open record hearing.
Phased review.
Preparation.
Private project.
Probable.
Proposal.
Reasonable alternative.
Responsible official.
SEPA.
Scope.
Scoping.
Significant.
State agency.
Threshold determination.
Underlying governmental action.
In addition to those definitions contained within WAC 197-11-700 through 197-11-799, when used in this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context indicates otherwise:
A. 
"Direct emissions"
means greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuel refineries, fossil fuel transshipment facilities, renewable fuel refineries, or renewable fuel transshipment facilities based upon the refining and processing of fossil fuels located within the Cherry Point Heavy Industrial area.
B. 
"Early notice"
means the county's response to an applicant stating whether it considers issuance of a determination of significance (DS) likely for the applicant's proposal (mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS) procedures).
C. 
"ERC"
means environmental review committee established in WCC § 16.08.045.
D. 
"Greenhouse gas emissions"
means gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. "Greenhouse gas," "greenhouse gases," "GHG," and "GHGs" include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride, and any other gas or gases designated by the federal Clean Air Act (United States Code Title 42, Chapter 85), state Clean Air Act (Chapter 70A.15 RCW) or state limiting greenhouse gas emissions law (Chapter 70A.45 RCW) or any directly superseding provisions of state or federal law.
E. 
"Gross emissions"
means the actual incremental emissions increases or decreases resulting from the project. Gross emissions do not include reductions or additions from off-site mitigation or lifecycle impacts.
F. 
"Indirect emissions"
means emissions resulting from off-site generation of power purchased for consumption at the facility and emissions from other contiguous or adjacent utilities directly supplying the facility (examples include cogeneration of steam, off-site hydrogen production).
G. 
"Lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions"
means the aggregate quantity of greenhouse gas emissions (including direct emissions and significant indirect emissions), related to the full fuel lifecycle, including all stages of fuel and feedstock production and distribution, from feedstock generation or extraction through the distribution and delivery and use of the finished fuel to the ultimate consumer, where the mass values for all greenhouse gases are adjusted to account for their relative global warming potential.
H. 
"Ordinance"
means the procedure used by the county to adopt regulatory requirements.
I. 
"Responsible official"
shall mean the director of the department which bears responsibilities for the SEPA process or his/her designee.
J. 
"SEPA rules"
means Chapter 197-11 WAC adopted by the Department of Ecology.
(Ord. 84-122 Part 8; Ord. 98-048 Exh. A; Ord. 2021-046 § 2 (Exh. B))