(a) Definitions. For purposes of this subpart:

(1) Direct sale customer means an essential agricultural user of high priority use which purchases natural gas directly from an interstate pipeline and consumes such natural gas for a high-priority use or an essential agricultural use.

(2) Essential agricultural use means any use of natural gas which is certified by the Secretary of Agriculture as an “essential agricultural use” under section 401(c) of the NGPA, as identified in 7 CFR part 2900, et seq.

(3) Essential agricultural user means a person who uses natural gas for an essential agricultural use.

(4) High-priority use means any use of natural gas which qualifies the user as a high-priority user.

(5) High-priority user means any person who uses natural gas:

(i) In a residence;

(ii) In a small commercial establishment;

(iii) In a school or a hospital; or

(iv) For police protection, for fire protection, in a sanitation facility or a correctional facility.

(6) End-use curtailment plan means a provision in the tariff of an interstate pipeline that requires that under circumstances of supply shortage natural gas deliveries will be curtailed based at least in part upon factors which consider the end-use of the natural gas.

(7) Indirect sale customer of an interstate pipeline means an essential agricultural end-user served by a local distribution company which is served directly by the interstate pipeline.

(8) Residence means a dwelling using natural gas predominantly for residential purposes such as space heating, air conditioning, hot water heating, cooking, clothes drying, and other residential uses and includes apartment buildings and other multi-unit buildings.

(9) Small commercial establishment means any establishment (including institutions and local, state and Federal Government agencies) engaged primarily in the sale of goods or services where natural gas is used:

(i) In amounts of less than 50 Mcf on a peak day; and

(ii) For purposes other than those involving manufacturing or electric power generation.

(10) Hospital means a facility, the primary function of which is delivering medical care to patients who remain at the facility including nursing and convalescent homes. Outpatient clinics or doctors' offices are not included in this definition.

(11) School means a facility, the primary function of which is to deliver instruction to regularly enrolled students in attendance at such facility. Facilities used for both educational and noneducational activities are not included under this definition unless the latter activities are merely incidental to the delivery of instruction.

(12) Local distribution company means a local distribution company served directly by an interstate pipeline.

(13) Rolling base period means a time period in which entitlements of the customers of an interstate pipeline are established pursuant to the pipeline's currently effective curtailment plan and which is periodically updated to reflect recent gas requirements of such customers.

(14) Entitlements of a direct sale customer or a local distribution company customer with respect to a particular interstate pipeline means the amount of natural gas that customer is permitted to receive under the interstate pipeline's currently effective curtailment plan.

(15) Interstate pipeline purchaser means an interstate pipeline which received deliveries of natural gas from another interstate pipeline.

(16) Alternative fuel means alternative fuel as it is defined in Subpart C of this part.

(b) Cross references. (1) Essential agricultural requirements are calculated in accordance with § 281.208.

(2) Index of entitlements is that index of entitlements prepared in accordance in § 281.204(b).