Natural Gas Consumer Relief Act

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Natural Gas Consumer Relief Act - Title I: Contracting and Marketing Practices - Amends the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 to declare a take-or-pay clause of a pipeline contract to be against public policy and unenforceable for a three-year period: (1) to the extent that it requires a pipeline to make any payment with respect to natural gas in excess of 50 percent of the maximum annual volume the pipeline has contracted to take; or (2) if such clause does not entitle a pipeline which makes a payment under such clause to take delivery of the gas during the one-year period beginning on the date of payments. Defines "take-or-pay clause" to mean any contract provision which requires payment for the minimum quantity of natural gas contracted for under the contract in the event the pipeline fails to take delivery. Permits a pipeline, in the case of a contract for the first sale of natural gas, to: (1) request the seller to renegotiate the contract; and (2) indicate that, if there is no renegotiation within 30 days of the request, the pipeline will exercise its market-out-option. Permits a pipeline exercising its market-out-option to refuse delivery without incurring an obligation to pay …