SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1717        FILED ON: 1/14/2009

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1497

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Relative to the Monitoring of Natural Gas..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 164 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section:- Section 70B.  The Department of Telecommunications and Energy shall require local distribution companies to survey their gas piping system for leak detection.  Upon finding a natural gas leak, the leak must be investigated, graded and monitored.  The surveying, investigating, grading and monitoring of these leaks shall be done by employees of local distribution companies and reported to the Department of Telecommunications and Energy.