II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4679 

To amend the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act with respect 

to the enforcement of certain provisions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 28, 2022 

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself and Ms. CANTWELL) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas 

Act with respect to the enforcement of certain provisions, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Energy Consumer Pro5 tection Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PROHIBITIONS AND SUSPENSIONS FOR VIOLA7 TIONS. 

8 (a) AMENDMENTS TO THE FEDERAL POWER ACT.— 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•S 4679 IS

1 (1) ENFORCEMENT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS.— 

2 Section 316A of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 

3 825o–1) is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(c) PROHIBITION OR SUSPENSION FOR VIOLA6 TIONS.—The Commission may prohibit, conditionally or 

7 unconditionally, permanently or for such period of time 

8 as the Commission determines to be appropriate, any per9 son who is engaged or has engaged in practices consti10 tuting a violation of section 221 or 222 (and related rules 

11 and regulations) from engaging, directly or indirectly, in 

12 the business of purchasing or selling— 

13 ‘‘(1) electric energy; 

14 ‘‘(2) electric energy products, including finan15 cial transmission rights; or 

16 ‘‘(3) transmission services subject to the juris17 diction of the Commission.’’. 

18 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

19 314(d) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 

20 825m(d)) is amended— 

21 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

22 (1)— 

23 (i) by striking ‘‘individual’’ and insert24 ing ‘‘person’’; and 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•S 4679 IS

1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or 222’’ after ‘‘sec2 tion 221’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘with 

4 respect to a person who is an individual,’’ be5 fore ‘‘acting’’; and 

6 (C) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (i) in the matter preceding subpara8 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘, directly or indi9 rectly,’’ after ‘‘engaging’’; 

10 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

11 ‘‘; or’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

12 (iii) by redesignating subparagraph 

13 (B) as subparagraph (C); and 

14 (iv) by inserting after subparagraph 

15 (A) the following: 

16 ‘‘(B) electric energy products, including fi17 nancial transmission rights; or’’. 

18 (b) AMENDMENTS TO NATURAL GAS ACT.— 

19 (1) PROHIBITION ON FILING FALSE INFORMA20 TION.—The Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et 

21 seq.) is amended by inserting after section 4A the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 4B. PROHIBITION ON FILING FALSE INFORMATION. 

24 ‘‘No person shall willfully and knowingly report to a 

25 Federal agency or private-sector price-reporting agency, 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•S 4679 IS

1 with intent to fraudulently affect the data being compiled 

2 by the Federal agency or private-sector price-reporting 

3 agency, any information relating to the transportation or 

4 sale of natural gas subject to the jurisdiction of the Com5 mission (including information relating to the availability 

6 and prices of natural gas sold at wholesale and in inter7 state commerce and information relating to the operation 

8 of facilities for the transportation and sale of natural gas 

9 at wholesale and in interstate commerce) that the person 

10 knows to be false at the time of the reporting.’’. 

11 (2) CIVIL PENALTY AUTHORITY.—Section 22 of 

12 the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717t–1) is amended 

13 by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(d) PROHIBITION OR SUSPENSION FOR VIOLA15 TIONS.—The Commission may prohibit, conditionally or 

16 unconditionally, permanently or for such period of time 

17 as the Commission determines to be appropriate, any per18 son who is engaged or has engaged in practices consti19 tuting a violation of section 4A or 4B (including related 

20 rules and regulations) from engaging, directly or indi21 rectly, in the business of purchasing or selling— 

22 ‘‘(1) natural gas; or 

23 ‘‘(2) transmission services subject to the juris24 diction of the Commission.’’. 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•S 4679 IS

1 (3) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

2 20(d) of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717s(d)) 

3 is amended— 

4 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

5 by striking ‘‘individual’’ and inserting ‘‘person’’; 

6 (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘with 

7 respect to a person who is an individual,’’ be8 fore ‘‘acting’’; and 

9 (C) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre10 ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘, di11 rectly or indirectly,’’ after ‘‘engaging’’. 

Æ 


pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB