Maryland Public Safety Section 14-504

CAUTION: READ FULL TEXT OF SECTION FOR SPECIAL NOTE

// SPECIAL NOTE: THE FOLLOWING SECTION WAS CHANGED BY CHAPTER 87 OF 2005 AND WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL JUNE 30, 2010 //

      (a)      (1)      In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.

            (2)      "Gross vehicle weight rating" means:

                  (i)      for a single vehicle, the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of the vehicle; or

                  (ii)      for a vehicle designed primarily to pull other vehicles and not constructed to carry a load other than part of the weight rating, the value specified by the manufacturer as the loaded weight of the combination vehicle.

            (3)      "Truck" means a motor vehicle that:

                  (i)      is designed primarily to transport property or as special purpose equipment; and

                  (ii)      has a gross vehicle weight rating, or the equivalent of a gross vehicle weight rating, in excess of 20,000 pounds.

      (b)      During an energy emergency, the Administration may use the State set-aside program to mitigate the hardship and emergency situation of a person only to the extent the person is engaged in:

            (1)      agricultural production, which is activities for the commercial production of food, including farming, ranching, dairying, and fishing, and related support services;

            (2)      cargo freight and mail hauling by trucks and mail carriers;

            (3)      operation of congregate care facilities, which are public or private buildings used to lodge and care for individuals whose places of lodging are rendered uninhabitable due to the energy emergency;

            (4)      emergency services, which are law enforcement, fire fighting, emergency road services, and emergency medical services;

            (5)      energy production, which is the processing, production, and distribution of energy resources including:

                  (i)      solar energy;

                  (ii)      fuel produced from organic material, including wood, wastes, petroleum, coal, and natural gas;

                  (iii)      geothermal energy;

                  (iv)      nuclear energy; and

                  (v)      electrical energy, other than electrical energy produced using petroleum-based fuels;

            (6)      passenger transportation services, or the operation of facilities necessary to support the services, including:

                  (i)      publicly or privately owned air and surface operations for transporting the public;

                  (ii)      bus transportation of pupils to and from school sponsored activities; and

                  (iii)      vanpool operations, as defined in § 11-175.1 of the Transportation Article;

            (7)      residential space heating and food preparation;

            (8)      sanitation services, which are the collection and disposal of solid wastes by public or private entities and the maintenance, operation, and repair of liquid purification and waste facilities;

            (9)      social service agency use, which is the use by public or private nonprofit social services agencies that operate programs to provide essential health and welfare services;

            (10)      space heating for medical and nursing buildings; and

            (11)      telecommunication services, which are the emergency or essential installation, repair, operation, and maintenance of voice, data, telegraph, video, and similar communication services to the public by a communications common carrier.

      (c)      If State set-aside volumes are not sufficient to satisfy all requests for assignments, the Administration may set priorities for making assignments among the activities listed in subsection (b) of this section.