36-6-301. Definitions.

(a) As used in this article:

(i) "Associated natural resource" means any substance, element or compound, either gaseous, liquid or solid, associated with the production, refining or processing of oil or gas. The term includes, but is not limited to, propane, butanes, ethane, methane, carbon dioxide, sulphur, helium, nitrogen and natural gas liquids;

(ii) "Natural gas" means hydrocarbons or nonhydrocarbons which at atmospheric conditions of temperature and pressure are in a gaseous phase;

(iii) "Oil" means crude petroleum and other hydrocarbons regardless of gravity which are produced at the wellhead in liquid form, and the liquid hydrocarbons known as distillate or condensate recovered or extracted from gas, other than gas produced in association with oil and commonly known as casinghead gas;

(iv) "Processing plant" means a plant to remove liquefiable hydrocarbons from a gas stream or to separate natural gas into physically or chemically distinct marketable associated natural resources;

(v) "Return on investment" means a percentage rate applied over a period of years to the equity investment for construction of transportation facilities or processing plants for oil, natural gas or associated natural resources. This percentage rate represents the rate a lessee or successor in interest supposedly could have received from investment of equity in some other commercial or financial undertaking. "Return on investment" also means a percentage of earnings or profitability ratio which a lessee, producer or successor in interest anticipates or desires to receive on the equity investment in transportation facilities or processing plant;

(vi) "Transportation facilities" means those facilities constructed for moving any oil, natural gas or associated natural resource from the place of production to the closest point of sale or to a processing plant.