The proposition, which was put forward by Deputy Geoff Southern, was defeated by 27 votes to 17 on Wednesday.
The report accompanying the proposition claimed that gas prices in Jersey rose 32 per cent in the four years up to 2015 but the wholesale price of propane fell 60 per cent in 2014 alone, and even further in 2015.
A second clause in the proposition, which would have required Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham to commission research to ensure that changes to Jersey Gas’s billing structure announced last November had not increased its income or disadvantaged its customers, was narrowly rejected by 22 votes to 21.
Outlining his proposals, Deputy Southern said that it was right for the government to intervene in price-setting if only one operator existed in the market, as was the case with Jersey Gas.
He added that the States had the legal power under the Jersey Gas Company (Jersey) Law 1989 to determine the tariffs set by the utility provider.
