The Senate, yesterday, considered and passed the bill for an Act to Prohibit Gas Flaring in the country.
The bill was passed after a clause by clause consideration by the Senate. One of the highlights of the bill is that any person who is acting on behalf of a licensee to supply inaccurate data to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) or to any other person duly empowered by a lawful authority, commits an offense and shall be liable upon conviction to a fine of N10 million or to imprisonment for a maximum term of six months or to both fine and imprisonment.
The bill consists of 22 sections and includes sections on sanction for inaccurate data collation and submission by the lessee, gas flaring fee, powers of the minister to make regulations, as well as repeal of the Associated Gas Re-injection Act 2004.
Among others, the bill seeks to ensure that natural gas shall not be flared or vented in any oil and gas production operation, block or field, onshore or onshore, or gas facility which shall commence operations after the commencement of the Act.