Section 8-1-2-87.6 - Exemption of Indiana produced natural gas; petition and hearing on rates for purchase or transport(a) Except as provided in this section, the production, gathering, sale, or transportation of Indiana produced natural gas is exempt from this chapter.(b) Any person, corporation, or other entity engaged in the production, gathering, sale, or transportation of natural gas produced in Indiana may petition the commission to: (1) require a gas utility certified under section 86 or 87 of this chapter to purchase or transport Indiana produced natural gas owned by the petitioning entity; and(2) set the rates for the purchase or transportation of that gas.(c) Upon receiving a petition under subsection (b), the commission may order the gas utility to transport or purchase the gas, and shall conduct a public hearing to set the purchase or transportation rates. The commission may only require the purchase or transportation of Indiana produced natural gas that: (1) is of pipeline quality and reliability; and(2) is to be delivered to a facility of the transporting or purchasing local distribution company that has adequate capacity to accept and transport the volume of gas involved. The commission shall provide notice of the hearing in accordance with IC 8-1-1-8. The commission shall prescribe the form of the petition, the procedures for the hearing, and the parties to whom notice is to be sent.
(d) If the sale of Indiana produced natural gas to an end use consumer for consumption in the franchise territory of a gas utility with less than five thousand (5,000) customers detrimentally affects the other end use consumers in the utility's franchise territory, the utility may petition the commission to require the seller to instead sell the gas to that utility at a rate and under terms and conditions set by the commission.(e) Any interested party may appear at a hearing conducted under subsections (c) and (d) either in person or by attorney and offer evidence in support of or in opposition to the petition. The commission may conduct an investigation and introduce any evidence obtained as a result of the investigation at the hearing.(f) The commission may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to implement this section.As added by P.L. 81-1986, SEC.1.