"Pipeline facilities" includes new and existing pipe rights-of-way and any equipment, facility, or building used in the transportation of gas or the treatment of gas during the course of transportation and includes facilities within this State that transport gas from an interstate gas pipeline to a direct sales customer within this State purchasing gas for its own consumption, but "rights-of-way" as used in this Act does not authorize the Commission to prescribe, under this Act, the location or routing of any pipeline facility. "Pipeline facilities" also includes new and existing pipes and lines and any other equipment, facility, or structure, except customer-owned branch lines connected to the primary fuel lines, used to convey gas from a gas main to the outside wall of residential premises, and any person who provides gas service directly to its residential customer through these facilities shall be deemed to operate such pipeline facilities for purposes of this Act irrespective of the ownership of the facilities or the location of the facilities with respect to the meter, except that a person who provides gas service to a "master meter system", as that term is defined at 49 C.F.R. Section 191.3, shall not be deemed to operate any facilities downstream of the master meter.
220 ILCS 20/2.04