I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 292

To improve the collection and dissemination of information relating to the

price and supply of home heating fuel, natural gas, and automotive

fuel, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 4, 1995

Mr. KANJORSKI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Commerce

A BILL

To improve the collection and dissemination of information

relating to the price and supply of home heating fuel,

natural gas, and automotive fuel, 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 Price and Sup5 ply Information Act of 1995’’.

6 SEC. 2. SURVEY OF FUEL PRICES AND INVENTORIES.

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Energy

8 Information Administration of the Department of Energy

9 shall conduct and publish surveys of—
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1 (1) wholesale and retail prices and primary and

2 secondary inventory levels of home heating fuel on a

3 national, State, and PADD basis;

4 (2) wholesale prices and primary inventory lev5 els of home heating fuel on a company-by-company

6 basis (without identifying the names of such compa7 nies);

8 (3) wellhead and citygate prices of natural gas

9 by major interstate pipeline;

10 (4) inventory levels of working natural gas and

11 base natural gas held in underground storage by

12 interstate and intrastate operator;

13 (5) wholesale and retail prices and primary and

14 secondary inventory levels of automotive fuel on a

15 national, State, and PADD basis; and

16 (6) wholesale prices and primary inventory lev17 els of automotive fuel on a company-by-company

18 basis (without identifying the names of such compa19 nies).

20 (b) FREQUENCY OF SURVEYS.—

21 (1) HOME HEATING FUEL AND NATURAL

22 GAS.—The surveys described in paragraphs (1), (2),

23 (3), and (4) of subsection (a) shall be conducted and

24 published weekly during each winter heating season
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1 beginning with the first winter heating season fol2 lowing the date of enactment of this Act.

3 (2) AUTOMOTIVE FUEL.—The surveys described

4 in paragraphs (5) and (6) of subsection (a) shall be

5 conducted and published weekly throughout each

6 year beginning 6 months after the date of enactment

7 of this Act.

8 SEC. 3. RECOMMENDED ADEQUATE INVENTORY LEVELS.

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, after con10 sultation with the Administrator of the Energy Informa11 tion Administration and State energy offices, establish

12 recommended adequate inventory levels for home heating

13 fuel, natural gas, and automotive fuel in accordance with

14 this section. Such levels shall constitute the amount of in15 ventories necessary to prevent substantial disruptions in

16 supply or substantial price increases and shall exceed lev17 els regarded as minimum operating levels, below which op18 erating problems and shortages would appear in the na19 tional distribution system.

20 (b) HOME HEATING FUEL.—In the case of home

21 heating fuel, such levels shall be established for primary

22 and secondary inventories on a national, state, and PADD

23 basis. Such levels shall be established before each winter

24 heating season and remain in effect for that season.
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1 (c) NATURAL GAS.—In the case of natural gas, such

2 level shall be established on a national basis for natural

3 gas held in underground storage. Such level shall be estab4 lished before each winter heating season and remain in

5 effect for that season.

6 (d) AUTOMOTIVE FUEL.—In the case of automotive

7 fuel, such levels shall be established for primary and sec8 ondary inventories on a national and PADD basis. Such

9 levels shall be established for each 6 month period begin10 ning 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

11 SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION OF INVENTORY LEVELS.

12 (a) HOME HEATING FUEL AND NATURAL GAS.—

13 (1) PRESEASON NOTIFICATION.—Not later than

14 October 1 of each year, the Secretary shall notify

15 the Congress, the President, and State energy offices

16 concerning whether inventories of home heating fuel

17 and natural gas meet the recommended adequate in18 ventory levels established under section 3 for the

19 winter heating season beginning that October 1.

20 (2) SUPPLEMENTAL NOTIFICATIONS.—If, at

21 any time during any winter heating season, inven22 tories of home heating fuel or natural gas fall below

23 the recommended adequate inventory levels estab24 lished under section 3 for that winter heating sea25 son, the Secretary shall notify the Congress, the
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1 President, and the State energy office of any State

2 concerned, and shall make recommendations for leg3 islative and administrative actions necessary to re4 store inventories to such recommended adequate lev5 els.

6 (b) AUTOMOTIVE FUEL.—If, at any time, inventories

7 of automotive fuel fall below the recommended adequate

8 inventory levels established under section 3 for that 6

9 month period, the Secretary shall notify the Congress, the

10 President, and the State energy office of any State con11 cerned, and shall make recommendations for legislative

12 and administrative actions necessary to restore inventories

13 to such recommended adequate levels.

14 SEC. 5. REPORT ON INTERRUPTIBLE NATURAL GAS CON15 TRACTS.

16 The Secretary shall conduct a study of the effect, if

17 any, of interruptible natural gas contracts on the demand

18 and supply of home heating fuel during the 1989–1990

19 winter heating season. The Secretary shall issue a report

20 on the findings of the study no later than 6 months after

21 the date of enactment of this Act. The report shall include

22 any recommendations concerning alternate fuel storage re23 quirements for holders of interruptible natural gas con24 tracts and recommendations concerning other matters rel25 evant to the purposes of this Act.
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1 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

2 For the purposes of this Act—

3 (1) the term ‘‘home heating fuel’’ means home

4 heating oil, propane, and diesel fuel;

5 (2) the term ‘‘PADD’’ means Petroleum Ad6 ministration Defense District;

7 (3) the term ‘‘primary inventory’’ means manu8 facturer inventory;

9 (4) the term ‘‘secondary inventory’’ means bulk

10 plant, wholesaler, and retailer inventory;

11 (5) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary

12 of Energy; and

13 (6) the term ‘‘winter heating season’’ means the

14 period beginning on October 1 of a year and ending

15 on April 30 of the following year.

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