Gas Company

What is a Gas Company do?

•    A gas company may produce, manufacture or distribute gasoline-based products throughout the world. Gasoline is a petroleum-derived mixture, which is used for fuel in combustion-based engines.

•    There are two forms of gas companies in the United States: private gas companies and public gas companies. Although this categorization is broad, it can be further defined by the roles in which gas companies’offer. A public gas company is a utility that provides gas to residents and various entities in a particular location. Public utilities are funded in part by a government agency and the products delivered are considered necessities to property owners throughout the United States. In contrast, a private gas company delivers petroleum-based products to motor-vehicle operators and various consumer markets in the United States. These companies are profit based and will price their products in relation to the supply and demand of oil.

Legal Issues Associated with Gas Companies

•    Although the services offered by gas companies are considered necessities, the underlying product contains viable threats to both the health of living organisms and the environment as a whole.
•    Gasoline contains hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic agents that in a large scale, present an enormous threat to public health and the environment. In addition, the chemical structure of gasoline is highly flammable; when gasoline is heated or interacts with fire it is highly explosive. In addition, gasoline is also a pollutant gas; gasoline produces carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. When these gases are emitted they adversely affect our atmosphere’s protective layers.
•    These characteristics present challenges in regards to the safe use and delivery of petroleum-based products. The most common threats associated with gasoline companies are delivery spills. When gasoline is spilled (for example when a delivery truck gets in an accident) the leaked gasoline is not only flammable, but emits corrosive pollutants into the atmosphere. Such pollutants also pose a threat to living organisms--when gasoline is chronically inhaled it can severely damage one’s health.
•    The effects of a gas spill are typically catastrophic; the pollutants combined with the threat of a conflagration can precipitate deaths and an environmental disaster. When these unfortunate situations arise, the gas companies are held liable. Gas companies in these instances, are typically punished by various forms of government and sued by the damaged parties of the particular jurisdiction in which the spill or leak occurred.
•     If a gas company mishandles or violates a government-imposed safety protocol, the company will be held liable for all damages which resulted from negligence. The company will be further regulated and fined as a result of their failure to adhere to such regulations. As a result of the product’s inherent dangers and the stress it places on the environment, gases and our reliance on oil, is a widely debated political issue.