(a) Within 30 calendar days following notification from a customer to discontinue gas service at that customer's service location, each operator shall take one of the three steps specified in 49 CFR §192.727(d) unless the operator receives notice within such 30 calendar day time period that service is to be continued at that service location to another customer or an owner or manager of the service location.      
        (1) An extension is granted if the customer account is placed in a soft-close program, which means the operator will close a customer's gas service account, provide the customer with an accurate closing bill, but leave the gas on for the next tenant. A soft-close program may be applied to accounts serving single family residential or individually metered apartment buildings.       
        (2) Accounts that are in a soft-close status shall have an automatic gas turn-off order executed if:                  (A) the meter registers 50 CCF (5 MCF) or more from the documented soft-close reading; or                   (B) after 90 days from the customer's notification to discontinue gas service.         
      (b) Each operator shall have a written procedure in its operations and maintenance manual for service discontinuance that includes the requirements of this rule.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §8.240 adopted to be effective September 8, 2003, 28 TexReg 7685; amended to be effective January 6, 2020, 45 TexReg 121