A bill that would stop companies from charging customers for leaked natural gas has the support of the Board of the Selectmen.

On Tuesday, Selectmen voted unanimously to send a letter in support of the bill. If passed, it would allow people to save money by preventing companies from billing customers for leaks and unaccounted for gas.

When there are gas leaks on public streets, gas companies typically do not repair these immediately, instead waiting until they get bad enough to be a serious problem, said Town Administrator Derek Sullivan. Individuals who use gas in their homes pay for this leaked gas.

The letter writing campaign in support of two bills to stop this began in Wayland. Chair Peter Teitelbaum will join other Massachusetts towns in writing a letter to the state house on behalf of the Board of Selectmen in support of the bills, H. 2683/S. 1845, to stop companies from charging for wasted gas.

According to the original letter from Wayland, by mid-2016, 37 towns and cities in Massachusetts passed resolutions in favor of the statewide gas leak bills. Hearings on the bills are expected to take place this fall.

Selectman Alan Slavin said leaking gas is a “common problem throughout Wareham.”

According to Home Energy Efficiency Team, Wareham had seven unrepaired gas leaks on public streets and eight repaired ones as of 2016.

Slavin said this measure could be an incentive for gas companies to fix problems quickly instead of ignoring them until they grow, because gas companies will have to pay for the leaking gas.

Sullivan pointed out this could stop roads from being “ripped up every few years because they decide the road is bad enough” to fix.