F.A.A. Federal
Aviation Administration. The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) is the element of the U.S. government with
primary responsibility for the safety of civil aviation. The FAA was originally
designated the Federal Aviation Agency when established by the Federal Aviation
Act of 1958. The present name was adopted in 1967 when the FAA became a
component of the Department of Transportation.
F.A.R. Federal
Acquisition Regulation. Regulation
governing the acquisition of goods and services for the Federal Government.
F.D.A. Food and Drug Administration. Government agency responsible for regulating
everything from the most common food ingredients to complex medical and
surgical devices, lifesaving drugs, and radiation-emitting consumer and medical
products. The FDA's mission is to
promote and protect the public health by helping safe and effective products
reach the market in a timely way, and monitoring products for continued safety
after they are in use.
Fatal Flaw A fault that is of such
significance and import that its occurrence will render an action
nonviable.
Feasibility The
process that validates that a new capital investment is warranted due to
project conception considerations. See Conception
Federal
Acquisition Regulation See F.A.R.
Federal
Aviation Administration See
F.A.A.
Federal Class I
Areas Certain national park and wilderness areas
across the country are given special protection under the Clean Air Act,
including some of our best known parks such as Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and
Great Smokies.
Information
& Maps http://www.epa.gov/air/visibility/maps.html
Federal
Emergency Management Agency See
FEMA
Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission
See FERC
Federal
Insurance and Mitigation Administration See FIMA
Federal
Maritime Commission
See FMC
Federal Power
Act See FPA
Feeder Line A pipeline or a gathering line tied into a
trunk line.
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency. An independent federal agency
established to respond to major emergencies that state and local agencies don't
have the resources to handle. FEMA seeks to reduce the loss of life and protect
property against all types of hazards through a comprehensive, risk-based
emergency management program. http://www.fema.gov/
FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. A quasi independent regulatory agency within
the Department of Energy having jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales,
wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, oil
pipeline rates, and gas pipeline certification.
Fiber Optic
Cable A cable technology
that carries light signals over thin glass fibers at unlimited speeds. See also Optical Fiber.
Filtration
Removal of suspended materials from water. The
mechanical process which removes particulate matter by separating water from
solid material, usually by passing it through sand.
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) The first and most fundamental way to
transfer files to and from remote computer sites. "Anonymous ftp"
refers to being able to access public file archives without a password (Login:
anonymous; Password: your e-mail address).
FIMA Federal
Insurance and Mitigation Administration. A component of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), FIMA manages the National Flood Insurance Program. The three
components of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are flood
insurance, floodplain management and flood hazard mapping. http://www.fema.gov/fima/nfip.shtm
Finalist Communities Those communities that
have been screened for suitability using a variety of comparative assessments
and evaluations, including a risk assessment.
Finance, Insurance and Real Estate See FIRE
Financial Incentives Incentives
provided that can be quantitatively measured in terms of recurring and
non-recurring cost reductions. These
include, but are not limited to cash, tax abatements, credits, subsidized
loans, land, in-kind services, training, credit enhancements, bonds and others.
Financial Evaluation In
site selection, recurring and not recurring costs are evaluated using a
proforma analysis with a net present value assigned so that costs can be
compared on an equal basis.
FIRE Acronym
used to describe the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate industry in census
reporting.
Fire Insurance
Rating The ISO
(Insurance Services Office, Inc.) is the de facto leading supplier of
statistical, actuarial, and underwriting information for and about the
property/casualty insurance industry. The ISO fire insurance ratings for a
community are the foundation on which most insurers build their coverage
programs. The ratings are based on many factors, including the quality of the
fire department, the water supply and hydrant locations, the city communication
systems, the building codes, and the building inspection programs. The ISO
ratings range from 1 to 10, with 1 being perfect. Since the ISO fire ratings
are used by property insurance companies to set insurance premium rates, the
lower the ISO fire rating, the lower the insurance premium.
Firm Gas Gas required to be delivered and taken
under the terms of a firm gas purchase contract.
Firm Service Sales and/or transportation services
provided without interruption throughout the year.
Firm
Transportation Service (FT) The
highest priority transportation service offered under a filed rate schedule,
which anticipates no interruption except force majeure.
Fixed Costs Costs
that do not vary with the level of activity. Some fixed costs continue even if
no cargo is carried. Terminal leases, rent and property taxes are fixed costs.
Flat Car A
rail car without a roof and walls.
Flocculation
Process in which a coagulant is added to the water that causes the
individual particles of suspended matter to be attracted to each other.
Floc The
attracted particles that begin to form into collections of material.
Flood A
temporary rise in flow or stage of any watercourse or storm water conveyance
system that results in storm water runoff exceeding its normal flow boundaries
and inundating adjacent, normally dry areas.
Flood Control The specific regulations and practices that reduce or prevent
the damage caused by storm water runoff.
Flood Plain Areas delineated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration) showing areas that flood according to 100 and 500 year intervals. A belt of low flat ground bordering a stream channel that is flooded when runoff exceeds the capacity of the stream channel. See Flood Plains.
Make
a Map:
http://www.esri.com/hazards/makemap.html
FEMA
(Federal Emergency Management Agency):
http://www.fema.gov/
FIMA
(Federal Insurance and Mitigation Agency): http://www.fema.gov/fima/nfip.shtm
Flow The rate of
water discharged from a source expressed in volume with respect to time.
Flow Augmentation The addition of water to
meet flow needs.
FMC (F.M.C.) Federal Maritime Commission. The U.S.
Governmental regulatory body responsible for administering maritime affairs
including the tariff system, Freight Forwarder Licensing, enforcing the
conditions of the Shipping Act, and approving conference or other carrier
agreements.
FOB Freight
on Board means it is shipped under a rate that includes costs of delivery to
and the loading onto a carrier at a specified point.
Force
Majeure The title of a common
clause in contracts, exempting the parties for non-fulfillment of their
obligations as a result of conditions beyond their control, such as
earthquakes, floods or war.
Formula
(Taxation) Income
tax is determined by calculating the net-effective rate according to the
formula allowed by each state’s tax laws. In general, a taxpayer first
ascertains the income that is to be apportioned (and then multiplies this
amount by the arithmetical average of three ratios:
-
in-state property to total property;
-
in-state payroll to total payroll; and
- in-state sales to total sales.
Foreign Trade
Zone A free port in a country
divorced from Customs authority but under government control. Merchandise,
except that which is prohibited, may be stored in the zone without being
subject to import duty regulations. Foreign Trade Zone
Fossil Fuel Plant A
plant using coal, oil, gas and other fossil fuel as its course of energy.
FPA Federal Power Act of 1920. The Federal Power Act (FPA) was adopted by Congress in
1920. It established the Federal Power Commission (FPC) as the regulatory
agency for non-federal hydroelectric power production. As the FPC
gradually took on responsibility for a wider range of national energy
regulatory issues, it evolved into an independent federal agency called the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Today, FERC governs
approximately 2,500 licenses for non-federal hydropower projects on both
federal and non-federal lands.
Franchise
tax Payment extracted by a government for allowing a
licensed operation in its jurisdiction. Net income, capital stock, proportion
of capital employed in the jurisdiction, net worth, or net or gross receipts
are examples of considerations for arriving at a franchise tax-rate. PA
Franchise Tax
Free Groundwater Unconfined groundwater
whose upper surface is a free water table.
Free on Board See
FOB
Freeport Legislation Exemption of inventories from property taxation
which may apply to raw materials, goods in process, finished goods or goods in
transit but is primarily associated with goods in transit.
Freight
Refers
to either the cargo carried or the charges assessed for carriage of the cargo.
Freight Bill A
document issued by the carrier based on the bill of lading and other
information; used to account for a shipment operationally, statistically, and
financially. An invoice.
Freight Forwarder A person whose business is to act as an agent on behalf of the
shipper. A freight forwarder frequently makes the booking reservation.
FTE Full Time Equivalent. The total number of workers, including part-time, in an area as the equivalent of full-time positions.
Full Choice Basic economic principles
dictate that individual tastes and preferences regulate demand and supply of a
given commodity – that is, the consumer (User) has autonomy to choose among a
variety of alternatives. The
SelectSites program allows the User to self direct the inquiry process in a
customized fashion
Full Time
Equivalent See FTE