§9-17-21. Illegal oil, gas or product - Sale, acquisition, processing, handling, etc.

(a) The sale, purchase or acquisition or the transportation, refining, processing or handling in any other way of illegal oil, illegal gas or illegal product is hereby prohibited.

(b) Unless and until the board provides for certificates of clearance or tenders or some other method so that any person may have an opportunity to determine whether any contemplated transaction of sale, purchase or acquisition or of transportation, refining, processing or handling in any other way involves illegal oil, illegal gas or illegal product, no penalty shall be imposed for the sale, purchase or acquisition or the transportation, refining, processing or handling in any other way of illegal oil, illegal gas or illegal product, except under circumstances stated in this section.

Penalties shall be imposed by the board for each transaction prohibited in this section when the person committing the same knows that illegal oil, illegal gas or illegal product is involved in such transaction or when such person could have known or determined such fact by the exercise of reasonable diligence or from facts within his knowledge. However, regardless of lack of actual notice or knowledge, penalties as provided in this article shall apply to any sale, purchase or acquisition and to the transportation, refining, processing or handling in any other way of illegal oil, illegal gas or illegal product where administrative provision is made for identifying the character of the commodity as to its legality. It shall likewise be a violation for which penalties shall be imposed for any person to sell, purchase or acquire or to transport, refine, process or handle in any other way any oil, gas or any product without complying with any rule, regulation or order of the board relating thereto.

(Acts 1945, No. 1, p. 1, §22.)