---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 6402"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "6402"
heading: "Definitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/6402"
units:
  - "Chapter 90 — Propane Education and Research"
---

# §6402. Definitions


For the purposes of this chapter—

- (1) the term “Council” means a [Propane](#6) Education and Research Council created pursuant to [section 6403 of this title](/usc/15/6403.md);
- (2) the term “industry” means those [persons](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) involved in the production, transportation, and sale of [propane](#6), and in the manufacture and distribution of [propane](#6) utilization equipment, in the United States;
- (3) the term “industry trade association” means an organization exempt from tax, under [section 501(c)(3)](/usc/15/501.md) or (6) of [title 26](/usc/26.md), representing the [propane](#6) [industry](#2);
- (4) the term “odorized propane” means [propane](#6) which has had odorant added to it;
- (5) the term “producer” means the owner of [propane](#6) at the time it is recovered at a gas processing plant or refinery;
- (6) the term “propane” means a hydrocarbon whose chemical composition is predominantly C[^3]H[^8], whether recovered from natural gas or crude oil, and includes liquefied petroleum gases and mixtures thereof;
- (7) the term “public member” means a member of the [Council](#1), other than a representative of [producers](#5) or [retail marketers](#9), representing significant users of [propane](#6), public safety officials, academia, the [propane](#6) research community, or other groups knowledgeable about [propane](#6);
- (8) the term “qualified industry organization” means the National [Propane](#6) Gas Association, the Gas Processors Association, a successor association of such associations, or a group of [retail marketers](#9) or [producers](#5) who collectively represent at least 25 percent of the volume of [propane](#6) sold or produced in the United States;
- (9) the term “retail marketer” means a [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) engaged primarily in the sale of [odorized propane](#4) to the ultimate consumer or to [retail propane dispensers](#10);
- (10) the term “retail propane dispenser” means a [person](/usc/15/7a.md?p=6) who sells [odorized propane](#4) to the ultimate consumer but is not engaged primarily in the business of such sales; and
- (11) the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Energy.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 104–284, § 3, Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3370.)