(a) UST technical standards, as used in this subpart, refers to the UST preventative and operating requirements under subparts B, C, D, G, J, and K of this part and § 280.50.

(b) Petroleum production, refining, and marketing. (1) Petroleum production means the production of crude oil or other forms of petroleum (as defined in § 280.12) as well as the production of petroleum products from purchased materials.

(2) Petroleum refining means the cracking, distillation, separation, conversion, upgrading, and finishing of refined petroleum or petroleum products.

(3) Petroleum marketing means the distribution, transfer, or sale of petroleum or petroleum products for wholesale or retail purposes.

(c) Indicia of ownership means evidence of a secured interest, evidence of an interest in a security interest, or evidence of an interest in real or personal property securing a loan or other obligation, including any legal or equitable title or deed to real or personal property acquired through or incident to foreclosure. Evidence of such interests include, but are not limited to, mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, surety bonds and guarantees of obligations, title held pursuant to a lease financing transaction in which the lessor does not select initially the leased property (hereinafter “lease financing transaction”), and legal or equitable title obtained pursuant to foreclosure. Evidence of such interests also includes assignments, pledges, or other rights to or other forms of encumbrance against property that are held primarily to protect a security interest. A person is not required to hold title or a security interest in order to maintain indicia of ownership.

(d) A holder is a person who, upon the effective date of this regulation or in the future, maintains indicia of ownership (as defined in § 280.200(c)) primarily to protect a security interest (as defined in § 280.200(f)(1)) in a petroleum UST or UST system or facility or property on which a petroleum UST or UST system is located. A holder includes the initial holder (such as a loan originator); any subsequent holder (such as a successor-in-interest or subsequent purchaser of the security interest on the secondary market); a guarantor of an obligation, surety, or any other person who holds ownership indicia primarily to protect a security interest; or a receiver or other person who acts on behalf or for the benefit of a holder.

(e) A borrower, debtor, or obligor is a person whose UST or UST system or facility or property on which the UST or UST system is located is encumbered by a security interest. These terms may be used interchangeably.

(f) Primarily to protect a security interest means that the holder's indicia of ownership are held primarily for the purpose of securing payment or performance of an obligation.

(1) Security interest means an interest in a petroleum UST or UST system or in the facility or property on which a petroleum UST or UST system is located, created or established for the purpose of securing a loan or other obligation. Security interests include but are not limited to mortgages, deeds of trusts, liens, and title pursuant to lease financing transactions. Security interests may also arise from transactions such as sale and leasebacks, conditional sales, installment sales, trust receipt transactions, certain assignments, factoring agreements, accounts receivable financing arrangements, and consignments, if the transaction creates or establishes an interest in an UST or UST system or in the facility or property on which the UST or UST system is located, for the purpose of securing a loan or other obligation.

(2) Primarily to protect a security interest, as used in this subpart, does not include indicia of ownership held primarily for investment purposes, nor ownership indicia held primarily for purposes other than as protection for a security interest. A holder may have other, secondary reasons for maintaining indicia of ownership, but the primary reason why any ownership indicia are held must be as protection for a security interest.

(g) Operation means, for purposes of this subpart, the use, storage, filling, or dispensing of petroleum contained in an UST or UST system.