Clause 26

by inserting, immediately before subsection (3), the following subsections:“(1) Where any gas escapes from any gas pipeline owned by, or under the management or control of a gas transporter, or from any internal pipe, gas fitting or gas appliance used by a consumer to whose premises gas is conveyed by the gas transporter, the gas transporter shall —

immediately take steps necessary to prevent the gas from escaping (whether by disconnecting any premises or otherwise); and

take any other steps necessary to avert danger to life or property.(2) If a gas transporter —

fails within a reasonable time to effectively prevent the gas from escaping; or

fails to comply with subsection (1)(b),he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $100,000 and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $10,000 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.”; and

by inserting, immediately after subsection (4), the following subsections:“(5) It shall be the duty of any gas transporter, gas shipper or gas retailer to take all steps necessary to ensure that, if it is informed by any person (the informant) or otherwise knows of an escape of gas (other than one, in the case of a gas transporter, that it is required by subsection (1) to prevent), it passes the information on, without avoidable delay —

to a responsible person, that is to say, a person appearing to it —

to be responsible (whether under this section or otherwise) for preventing the escape; or

to be the gas transporter from whose gas pipeline network the gas is escaping; or

to a person nominated by a responsible person to receive information on his behalf about escaping of gas.(6) For the purposes of subsection (5)(b), there shall be sufficient compliance if the gas transporter, gas shipper or gas retailer is reasonably satisfied that the informant has passed on the information, without avoidable delay, to the nominated person.”.