In this chapter,

(1) “credit” means the exploration incentive credit for activities involving locatable and leasable mineral and coal deposits authorized by this chapter;

(2) “eligible costs” means the costs incurred for activities in direct support of exploration activity conducted at the mining operation of the exploration activity for the purpose of determining the existence, location, extent, or quality of a mineral or coal deposit; the term

(A) includes

(i) the costs of obtaining the approvals, permits, licenses, and certificates for an exploration activity set out in AS 27.30.010(a)(1) - (5);

(ii) direct labor costs and the cost of benefits for employees directly associated with work described in AS 27.30.010(a)(1) - (5);

(iii) the cost of renting or leasing equipment from parties not affiliated with the person requesting and taking the credit;

(iv) the reasonable costs of owning, maintaining, and operating equipment;

(v) insurance and bond premiums associated with the activities set out in (i) - (iv) of this subparagraph;

(vi) payments to consultants and independent contractors; and

(vii) the general expense of operating the person's business, including the costs of materials and supplies, if those expenses and costs are directly attributable to the work described in AS 27.30.010(a)(1) - (5);

(B) does not include return on investment, insurance or bond premiums not covered under (A)(v) of this paragraph, or any other expense that the person has not incurred to complete work described in AS 27.30.010(a)(1) - (5);

(3) “exploration activity data” includes, as applicable,

(A) a representative skeleton core for each hole cored or a representative set of cuttings for each hole rotary drilled;

(B) chemical analytical data and noninterpretive geophysical data;

(C) aerial photographs or a topographic or geologic map showing the location of the drill holes, sample locations, or the other exploration activities undertaken;

(4) “geochemical methods” means soil, rock, water, air, vegetation, and similar samples collected and their chemical analyses;

(5) “geophysical methods” means all geophysical data gathering methods used in mineral or coal exploration, including seismic, gravity, magnetic, radiometric, radar, and electromagnetic and other remote sensing measurements;

(6) “mining operation” includes all operating and nonoperating activities related to a mineral deposit interest, and may be comprised of one or more mining properties; in determining whether mining properties are part of the same mining operation, the commissioner may consider whether the operation, in conducting mining activities on several mining properties, uses common personnel, supply, and maintenance facilities, mining-related treatment processes, storage facilities, roads, pipelines and transportation equipment, and mining techniques and technology, and may also consider the extent to which the mineral deposit interest comprises a common mining property;

(7) “person” means only those persons listed in AS 27.30.010(d).