49–006 

109TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2d Session 109–536 

FUEL CONSUMPTION EDUCATION ACT 

JUNE 28, 2006.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. BARTON of Texas, from the Committee on Energy and 

Commerce, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 5611] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred 

the bill (H.R. 5611) to provide for the establishment of a partnership between the Secretary of Energy and appropriate industry 

groups for the creation of a transportation fuel conservation education campaign, and for other purposes, having considered the 

same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Amendment .............................................................................................................. 1 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 2 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 3 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 3 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 3 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 3 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 3 

New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures ............. 3 

Committee Cost Estimate ....................................................................................... 3 

Congressional Budget Office Estimate ................................................................... 4 

Federal Mandates Statement ................................................................................. 5 

Advisory Committee Statement .............................................................................. 5 

Constitutional Authority Statement ...................................................................... 5 

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................ 5 

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 5 

Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported ..................................... 6 

AMENDMENT

The amendment is as follows: 


HMOORE on PROD1PC68 with HMRPT
2 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited at the ‘‘Fuel Consumption Education Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

The Congress finds that— 

(1) today’s gasoline prices are taking a severe toll on the pocketbooks of all 

Americans and are nearing a level of national emergency; 

(2) a large number of factors contribute to the price of gasoline, including 

worldwide demand for crude oil, taxes, international conflicts, regional supply 

chains, environmental regulations, and refining capacity; 

(3) individuals can take steps to address rising demand by using a few simple 

gas saving tips; and 

(4) increased driving efficiency will lower the demand for gasoline and thereby 

lower prices in the short term. 

SEC. 3. PARTNERSHIP. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy shall enter into a partnership with 

interested industry groups, including groups from the automotive, gasoline refining, 

and oil industries, to create a public education campaign that provides information 

to United States drivers about immediate measures that may be taken to conserve 

transportation fuel. This public-private partnership shall include a five member advisory board, to be chaired by the Secretary or his designee, which shall include representatives from the Department of Energy, the oil industry, the automotive industry, and the Congress, to be appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall appoint 

the advisory board not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

(b) ACCESSIBILITY.—The public information campaign under this section shall be 

targeted to reach the widest audience possible. The education campaign shall include television, print, Internet website, or any other method designed to maximize 

the dissemination of transportation fuel savings information to drivers. 

(c) COST SHARING.—The Secretary shall provide no more than 50 percent of the 

cost of the campaign created under this section. 

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated 

to the Secretary $10,000,000 for carrying out this section. 

SEC. 4. PARTNERSHIP ON FUEL SUPPLY FOR EVACUATIONS. 

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy shall enter into a partnership with 

interested industry groups and State and local governments, including groups from 

the gasoline refining and marketing industries, to create an education campaign 

that provides information to the State and local governments and the private sector 

about best practices to ensure adequate fuel supplies during emergency evacuations. 

This public-private partnership shall include a five member advisory board, to be 

chaired by the Secretary or his designee, which shall include representatives from 

the Department of Energy, the gasoline refining industry, the gasoline marketing 

industry, a State government, and a unit of local government. The Secretary shall 

appoint the advisory board not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of 

this Act. 

(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated 

to the Secretary $3,000,000 for carrying out this section. 

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of H.R. 5611, the ‘‘Fuel Consumption Education 

Act,’’ is to provide for the establishment of a partnership between 

the Secretary of Energy and appropriate industry groups for the 

creation of a transportation fuel conservation education campaign, 

and for other purposes. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

Demand for oil in the U.S., as well as worldwide, continues to 

grow. Currently the United States consumes approximately 10 million barrels of oil per day, most of which fuels the transportation 

sector. 

While annual growth in oil demand in the U.S., and in many developed countries, is between 1 and 2 percent, in many developing 


HMOORE on PROD1PC68 with HMRPT
3 

countries—such as Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America— 

total demand is growing at an even faster pace, averaging around 

3 percent per year. In China alone, demand growth in 2004 was 

nearly 16 percent. The Energy Information Administration projects 

that global oil demand will increase by about 46 percent in the 

next 20 years, reaching 120 million barrels a day by 2025. 

While the United States cannot control demand for oil worldwide, 

U.S. citizens can help affect the dependence of the U.S. on foreign 

sources of oil by changing their driving habits. While there is no 

easy or immediate solution to the Nation’s dependence on oil, 

Americans can take steps every day to conserve fuel. H.R. 5611, 

the ‘‘Fuel Consumption Education Act,’’ is designed to educate consumers about those conservation options. 

HEARINGS

The Committee on Energy and Commerce has not held hearings 

on the legislation. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On Tuesday, June 20, 2006, the Committee on Energy and Commerce met in markup session and ordered H.R. 5611 reported to 

the House, amended, by a voice vote, a quorum being present. 

COMMITTEE VOTES

There were no record votes taken in connection with ordering 

H.R. 5611 reported. A motion by Mr. Barton to order H.R. 5611 reported to the House, amended, was agreed to by a voice vote. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee has not held oversight or legislative hearings on this legislation. 

STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The goal of H.R. 5611, the ‘‘Fuel Consumption Education Act,’’ is 

to provide for the establishment of a partnership between the Secretary of Energy and appropriate industry groups for the creation 

of a transportation fuel conservation education campaign, and for 

other purposes. 

NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX

EXPENDITURES

In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H.R. 5611, the 

‘‘Fuel Consumption Education Act,’’ would result in no new or increased budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues. 

COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared by 

the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 

402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 


HMOORE on PROD1PC68 with HMRPT
4 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE

Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the following is the cost estimate provided by 

the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 402 of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974: 

JUNE 22, 2006. 

Hon. JOE BARTON, 

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, 

House of Representatives, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5611, the Fuel Consumption Education Act. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan Carroll. 

Sincerely, 

DONALD B. MARRON, 

Acting Director. 

Enclosure. 

H.R. 5611—Fuel Consumption Education Act 

Summary: H.R. 5611 would authorize the appropriation of $13 

million for the Secretary of Energy to enter into partnerships with 

nonfederal parties to educate the public on ways to conserve gasoline and ensure adequate supplies of fuel during emergency evacuations. Assuming appropriation of the specified amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5611 would cost $4 million in 2007 

and $13 million over the 2007–2011 period. Enacting the bill would 

not affect direct spending or revenues. 

H.R. 5611 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 

and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: For this estimate, 

CBO assumes that H.R. 5611 will be enacted near the start of fiscal year 2007 and that the amounts specified in the bill will be appropriated for that year. Estimates of outlays are based on historical spending patterns for similar programs. The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 5611 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget function 270 (energy). 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 

CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Authorization level ................................................................................................... 13 0 0 0 0 

Estimated outlays ................................................................................................... 4 8 1 0 0 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 5611 contains 

no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in 

UMRA and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 

governments. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Megan Carroll; Impact on 

State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Lisa Ramirez-Branum; Impact on the Private Sector: Craig Cammarata. 


HMOORE on PROD1PC68 with HMRPT
5 

Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 

pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this legislation. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House 

of Representatives, the Committee finds that the Constitutional authority for this legislation is provided in Article I, section 8, clause 

3, which grants Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the several States, and with the Indian tribes. 

APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to the 

terms and conditions of employment or access to public services or 

accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

Section 1 establishes the short title as the ‘‘Fuel Consumption 

Education Act.’’ 

Section 2. Findings 

Section 2 contains findings for the legislation. 

Section 3. Partnership 

Section 3(a) establishes a partnership between the Secretary of 

Energy (the Secretary) and interested industry groups, including 

groups from the automotive, gasoline refining, and oil industries to 

create a public education campaign that provides information to 

United States drivers about immediate measures that may be 

taken to conserve transportation fuel. Nothing in this bill prohibits 

participation by other interested groups. The partnership shall include a five-member advisory board to be chaired by the Secretary, 

and shall include representatives from the Department of Energy, 

the oil industry, the automotive industry, and the Congress. The 

Secretary shall appoint the members of the board not later than 30 

days after the date of enactment. 

Section 3(b) requires the public information campaign to be targeted to reach the widest audience possible and shall include television, print, Internet websites, or any other method of maximizing 

the dissemination of information. 

Section 3(c) requires the Secretary not to provide more than 50 

percent of the cost of the education campaign. Section 3(d) authorizes the appropriation of $10,000,000 to the 

Secretary to carry out this section. The funds in this bill are to be 


HMOORE on PROD1PC68 with HMRPT
6 

used to create a new fuel economy education campaign. It is not 

the intent of the Committee that any of these funds be used for the 

commercial benefit of any one company or any one industry. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

This legislation does not amend any existing Federal statute. 

Æ 


HMOORE on PROD1PC68 with HMRPT