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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9957 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9957

To direct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study of the feasibility 
 of establishing a refined fuel storage reserve in the Western United 
                                States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 11, 2024

 Mr. Curtis (for himself, Ms. Maloy, Mr. Moore of Utah, and Mr. Owens) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To direct the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study of the feasibility 
 of establishing a refined fuel storage reserve in the Western United 
                                States.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Western Refined Fuel Reserve Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. WESTERN REFINED FUEL STORAGE RESERVE STUDY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, and other stakeholders, shall complete a 
study, subject to subsection (b), to guide the establishment of a 
Western refined fuel storage reserve in--
            (1) one of the Western States;
            (2) a salt cavern formation; and
            (3) to the maximum extent practicable, a centralized 
        location among the Western States with immediate and reliable 
        connectivity to existing rail and highway infrastructure.
    (b) Contents.--The study under subsection (a) shall include--
            (1) an examination of--
                    (A) potential locations that a Western refined fuel 
                storage reserve may be established, taking into 
                consideration the unique geography of the West;
                    (B) specific infrastructure requirements for the 
                establishment and operation of a Western refined fuel 
                storage reserve, taking into consideration the lack of 
                pipeline infrastructure and connectivity between 
                refinery hubs and major cities within the Western 
                States;
                    (C) the vulnerability of the refined fuel supply 
                chains to natural or manmade disasters that result in 
                an extended disruption of refinery operations within 
                the Western States;
                    (D) the economic feasibility of establishing, 
                operating, and maintaining a Western refined fuel 
                storage reserve;
                    (E) existing salt cavern formations in Western 
                States that are actively hosting or could host a 
                refined fuel storage reserve; and
                    (F) the quantity and scale of existing refined fuel 
                storage reserves containing petroleum products within 
                the Western States; and
            (2) the identification of potential additional benefits to 
        the energy security or emergency preparedness of the United 
        States by establishing a Western refined fuel storage reserve, 
        including--
                    (A) economic benefits of any identified potential 
                Western refined fuel storage reserve site; and
                    (B) emergency response advantages of an identified 
                refined fuel storage reserve.
    (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 60 days after the date on 
which the Secretary of Energy completes the study under subsection (a), 
the Secretary of Energy shall, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Homeland Security and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, submit to Congress a report, based on the results of 
such study--
            (1) recommending, with respect to authorizing and funding 
        the establishment of a Western refined fuel storage reserve as 
        a part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve system--
                    (A) regulatory requirements for the potential 
                establishment of such refined fuel storage reserve;
                    (B) a location for established such refined fuel 
                storage reserve;
                    (C) the utilization of existing private sector 
                facilities, if applicable, for the establishment of 
                such refined fuel storage reserve;
                    (D) how such a refined fuel storage reserve should 
                be operated, such as what fuels and quantities should 
                be stored, fuel purchases, conditions triggering fuel 
                withdrawals, and any other operational recommendations; 
                and
                    (E) strategies for partnering with other Federal 
                agencies, States, and local governments to provide fuel 
                storage for emergency uses in the Western United 
                States; and
            (2) on the projected costs of establishing a Western 
        refined fuel storage reserve.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Petroleum product.--The term ``petroleum product'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 3 of the Energy Policy 
        and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6202).
            (2) Refined fuel storage reserve.--The term ``refined fuel 
        storage reserve'' means a storage facility that--
                    (A) is a salt cavern formation; and
                    (B) stores refined petroleum products.
            (3) Storage facility.--The term ``storage facility'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 152 of the Energy Policy 
        and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6232).
                                 <all>
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