Section IV – Quality & Continuity of Natural Gas Service
The Cooperative will use reasonable diligence in furnishing a regular and uninterrupted supply of natural gas but does not guarantee uninterrupted service. The Cooperative shall not be liable for damages in case such supply should be interrupted or fail by reason of an act of God, the public enemy, accidents, labor disputes, orders or acts of civil or military authority, loss of transmission supply beyond its control, breakdowns or injury to the machinery, other facilities of the Cooperative, extraordinary repairs, or any other cause beyond its control.
In the event of an adverse condition or disturbance on the system of the Cooperative, or any other system directly or indirectly interconnected with it which requires interruption of the supply of natural gas to some Members in order to limit the extent or duration of the adverse condition or disturbance, the Cooperative may, without incurring liability, take such action as appears reasonably necessary.
The Cooperative recognizes its primary public service obligation to domestic “Human Needs” members. When necessary, due to force majeure conditions, emergency requests, contractual limitations with our interstate gas provider, or at the request of any jurisdictional authority, the Cooperative shall curtail the supply of gas to any member hereunder to the extent necessary to maintain such domestic service.
When curtailment is necessary, the Cooperative shall curtail members in an orderly fashion, giving consideration to the characteristics of the members’ usage and market in the following order.
- Gas service to industrial, certain commercial or other members in the following order, giving consideration to maintenance gas requirements and availability of alternative fuels:
a. Service designated as interruptible
b. Service identifiable as curtailable
c. Remaining service to industrial members - Gas service to schools, churches and similar institutions, federal, state, county, municipal and public buildings, office buildings, theatres, stores, restaurants, bakeries and all types of commercial establishments, Except: Gas service to members using gas in boarding and rooming houses, apartment buildings, hotels, hospitals and sanitariums and similar institutions where the element of human welfare and comfort are the predominant requirements.
- Remaining members with lowest priority usage being curtailed first, at the Cooperative’s discretion.
Any member, after notification of partial or complete curtailment of their natural gas service, who does not cease usage shall be liable for all gas costs, fines, and/or penalties incurred by the Cooperative, as a result of their unauthorized usage.