I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1647
To provide for electricity emergencies.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 1, 2001
Mr. BARTON of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee
on Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris-
diction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide for electricity emergencies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
‘‘Electricity Emergency Relief Act’’.
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I—GENERAL MEASURES FOR ELECTRIC ENERGY
Sec. 101. Demand management agreements clearinghouse.
Sec. 102. Price mitigation in western market through demand management in-
centives.
Sec. 103. Transmission constraints study.
Sec. 104. Path 15 transmission expansion.
Sec. 105. Tribal energy office.
Sec. 106. Federal transmission corridors.
Sec. 107. Guarantee of payment required for certain emergency power sales.
Sec. 108. Sale of transmission assets to State of California.
TITLE II—FEDERAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE IN ELECTRIC
EMERGENCIES
Sec. 201. Emergency conservation awareness.
Sec. 202. Preparation for electricity blackouts.
Sec. 203. Conservation at Federal facilities.
Sec. 204. Daylight savings time.
Sec. 205. PURPA contracts.
TITLE III—FEDERAL ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE UPON A
GOVERNOR’S REQUEST
Sec. 301. Hydroelectric power license conditions.
Sec. 302. Federal hydropower generation.
Sec. 303. Nox preconstruction requirements for new generation.
Sec. 304. Federal generation during State emergencies.
Sec. 305. Emergency generation.
Sec. 306. Regional transmission organization in western region.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
The terms used in this Act have the same meanings
as when used in the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 791a
and following), except as otherwise provided in this Act.
TITLE I—GENERAL MEASURES
FOR ELECTRIC ENERGY
SEC. 101. DEMAND MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS CLEARING-
HOUSE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the
enactment of this Act, the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission shall establish a clearinghouse system to fa-
cilitate agreements between wholesale sellers of electric en-
ergy and wholesale purchasers who are willing to forego,
for a specified period of time, the purchase of electric en-
ergy that they are entitled to purchase from the sellers
pursuant to contractual agreements. The specified period
of time concerned may include specified times of day or
specified times of year.
(b) COMPENSATION DEEMED JUST AND REASON-
ABLE.—The clearinghouse system established under this
section shall provide for the sale at wholesale to other pur-
chasers of the electric energy referred to in subsection (a).
The Commission shall, by rule or order, provide that any
reduced rate offered to a buyer as whole or partial com-
pensation for that buyer’s willingness to forego purchases
shall be treated as just and reasonable for purposes of part
II of the Federal Power Act.
(c) COMPENSATION FOR FOREGONE PURCHASES.—
Compensation for a wholesale purchaser agreeing to fore-
go a purchase as provided in this section, including finan-
cial and non-financial compensation, rebates or other
types of compensation that meet such requirements as the
Commission shall establish, shall not be deemed unlawful
(as a rebate or preference or otherwise) under section
205(b) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824d(b)).
(d) DATE OF TERMINATION AND REPORT.—
(1) DATE OF TERMINATION; EFFECT ON EXIST-
ING
AGREEMENTS.—The authority of this section
shall terminate on October 1, 2003. Such termi-