The following definitions are applicable to the third-party verification requirements in accordance with WAC 173-424-810 through 173-424-850, including fuel pathway applications submitted under WAC 173-424-610, annual fuel pathway reports required under WAC 173-424-610, quarterly reports submitted under WAC 173-424-410, and carbon sequestration project reports submitted under this chapter.
(1) "Adverse validation statement" and "adverse verification statement" means a statement rendered by a verification body attesting that (either or both):
(a) It cannot say with reasonable assurance the submitted report or fuel pathway application is free of a material misstatement under this chapter; or
(b) The submitted report or fuel pathway application contains correctable errors and thus is not in conformance with the requirements to fix such errors according to WAC 173-424-830 (2)(f).
(2) "Conflict of interest" means a situation in which, because of financial or other activities or relationships with other persons or organizations, a verification body is unable or potentially unable to provide an impartial verification statement of a potential client's report or fuel pathway application, or the verification body's objectivity in providing verification services is or might be otherwise compromised.
(3) "Correctable errors" means errors identified by the verification team that affect data in the submitted report or fuel pathway application, which result from a nonconformance with this chapter, as applicable. Differences that, in the professional judgment of the verification team, are the result of differing but reasonable methods of truncation or rounding or averaging, where a specific procedure is not prescribed by this chapter, are not considered errors and therefore do not require correction.
(4) "Difference in CI" means the absolute value result of the reported operational CI minus the verifier's calculation of CI for material misstatement of carbon intensity assessments for a CFS fuel pathway application or annual report. The verifier's calculation of CI is based on site-specific data inputs modified to include discrepancies, omissions, and misreporting found during the course of verification services.
(5) "Full verification" means all verification services as required under WAC 173-424-830.
(6) "Independent reviewer" means a lead verifier within a verification body that has not participated in providing verification services for a responsible entity for the current reporting year and provides an independent review of verification services provided to the responsible entity.
(7) "Less intensive verification" means the verification services provided in interim years between full verifications. Less intensive verification does not require a site visit, and only requires data checks and document reviews of a submitted report based on the analysis and risk assessment in the most current sampling plan developed as part of the most current full verification services. This level of verification may only be used if the verifier can provide findings with a reasonable level of assurance.
(8) "Member" means any employee or subcontractor of the verification body or related entities of the verification body and includes any individual with majority equity share in the verification body or its related entities.
(9) "Material misstatement" means any discrepancy, omission, misreporting, or aggregation of the three, identified during verification services that leads a verification team to believe that reported data or a submitted report or fuel pathway application contains one or more errors, as described in WAC 173-424-830 (2)(i) and (j), as applicable.
(10) "Performance review" means an assessment conducted by ecology of an applicant seeking to become accredited or reaccredited as a verification body or lead verifier pursuant to WAC 173-424-840(8). Such an assessment may include a review of applicable past sampling plans, validation and verification reports, validation and verification statements, conflict of interest submittals, and additional information or documentation regarding the applicant's fitness for qualification.
(11) "Positive verification statement" means a verification statement from a verification body attesting that it can say with reasonable assurance that the submitted report or fuel pathway application is free of material misstatement and that it conforms to the requirements of this chapter.
(12) "Quarterly review" means a review process conducted by the verification team after quarterly data is submitted and before annual data is submitted and verified.
(13) "Reasonable assurance" means high degree of confidence in the accuracy and truth of a conclusion.
(14) "Recertification" of a pathway or a "recertified pathway" means a pathway certified by CARB or OR-DEQ and submitted to ecology with all necessary inputs to the WA-GREET CI calculator and that is the same as the one approved by CARB or OR-DEQ, except for the fuel transportation mode and distance.
(15) "Responsible entity" means an entity that is subject to or voluntarily agrees to be subject to the requirements of this chapter.
(16) "Sector specific verifier" means a person that has met the requirements to perform such a role and has been approved by ecology under WAC 173-424-840 to act as a sector specific verifier in providing verification services as described by this chapter.
(17) "Subcontractor" means an individual or business firm contracting to perform part or all of another's contract.
(18) "Validation" means verification of a fuel pathway application using the requirements of this chapter.
(19) "Validation statement" means the final statement produced by a verification body attesting whether a fuel pathway application is free of material misstatement and whether it conforms to the requirements of this chapter.
(20) "Verification body" means a business entity that has met the requirements under WAC 173-424-840 and has been approved by ecology to provide verification services and produce verification statements.
(21) "Verification services" means services provided during full verification or less intensive verification including, but not limited to, reviewing a report or fuel pathway application submitted by a responsible entity, assessing compliance with ecology regulations, ensuring accuracy according to the standards specified by ecology, and submitting a verification statement(s) to ecology.
(22) "Verification statement" means the final statement produced by a verification body attesting whether a report or fuel pathway application submitted by a responsible entity is free of or contains material misstatement and whether it does or does not conform to the applicable requirements.
(23) "Verification team" means all persons working for a verification body, including all subcontractors, to provide verification services.
(24) "Verifier" means an individual person that has met the requirements and been approved by ecology under WAC 173-424-840 to provide verification services as described in this chapter.
[Statutory Authority: Chapter 70A.535 RCW and RCW 70A.02.060. WSR 25-21-106 (Order 23-10), s 173-424-800, filed 10/20/25, effective 11/20/25. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70A.535 RCW. WSR 22-24-004 (Order 21-04), § 173-424-800, filed 11/28/22, effective 12/29/22.]