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(b) STUDY.—The Secretary of Energy shall conduct
a study on petroleum and natural gas storage capacity and
operational inventory levels, nationwide and by major geo-
graphical regions.
(c) CONTENTS.—The study shall address—
(1) historical normal ranges for petroleum and
natural gas inventory levels;
(2) historical and projected storage capacity
trends;
(3) estimated operation inventory levels below
which outages, delivery slowdown, rationing, inter-
ruptions in service, or other indicators of shortage
begin to appear;
(4) explanations for inventory levels dropping
below normal ranges; and
(5) the ability of industry to meet United
States demand for petroleum and natural gas with-
out shortages or price spikes, when inventory levels
are below normal ranges.
(d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Energy shall submit a report to Congress on the results
of the study, including findings and any recommendations
for preventing future supply shortages.
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SEC. 1605. STUDY OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARDS.
The Secretary of Energy shall contract with the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences for a study, to be completed
within 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, to
examine whether the goals of energy efficiency standards
are best served by measurement of energy consumed, and
efficiency improvements, at the actual site of energy con-
sumption, or through the full fuel cycle, beginning at the
source of energy production. The Secretary shall submit
the report to Congress.
SEC. 1606. TELECOMMUTING STUDY.
(a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Commission, the Director of the Office of
Personnel Management, the Administrator of General
Services, and the Administrator of NTIA, shall conduct
a study of the energy conservation implications of the
widespread adoption of telecommuting by Federal employ-
ees in the United States.
(b) REQUIRED SUBJECTS OF STUDY.—The study re-
quired by subsection (a) shall analyze the following sub-
jects in relation to the energy saving potential of telecom-
muting by Federal employees:
(1) Reductions of energy use and energy costs
in commuting and regular office heating, cooling,
and other operations.
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(2) Other energy reductions accomplished by
telecommuting.
(3) Existing regulatory barriers that hamper
telecommuting, including barriers to broadband tele-
communications services deployment.
(4) Collateral benefits to the environment, fam-
ily life, and other values.
(c) REPORT REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall submit
to the President and Congress a report on the study re-
quired by this section not later than 6 months after the
date of enactment of this Act. Such report shall include
a description of the results of the analysis of each of the
subject described in subsection (b).
(d) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section:
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of Energy.
(2) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’
means the Federal Communications Commission.
(3) NTIA.—The term ‘‘NTIA’’ means the Na-
tional Telecommunications and Information Admin-
istration of the Department of Commerce.
(4) TELECOMMUTING.—The term ‘‘telecom-
muting’’ means the performance of work functions
using communications technologies, thereby elimi-
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nating or substantially reducing the need to com-
mute to and from traditional worksites.
(5) FEDERAL EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘Federal
employee’’ has the meaning provided the term ‘‘em-
ployee’’ by section 2105 of title 5, United States
Code.
SEC. 1607. LIHEAP REPORT.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall transmit to Congress a report on how the Low-In-
come Home Energy Assistance Program could be used
more effectively to prevent loss of life from extreme tem-
peratures. In preparing such report, the Secretary shall
consult with appropriate officials in all 50 States and the
District of Columbia.
SEC. 1608. OIL BYPASS FILTRATION TECHNOLOGY.
The Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency shall—
(1) conduct a joint study of the benefits of oil
bypass filtration technology in reducing demand for
oil and protecting the environment;
(2) examine the feasibility of using oil bypass
filtration technology in Federal motor vehicle fleets;
and