I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6238 
To provide for the establishment of an interagency working group to conduct 
a study to identify the factors that affect the pricing of crude oil 
and refined petroleum products, and to make recommendations on appro-
priate coordination of oversight and regulation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 11, 2008 
Mr. DINGELL (for himself, Mr. BARROW, Mr. HILL, Mr. HOYER, Mr. BOU-
CHER, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. STUPAK, Ms. ESHOO, 
Mr. WEINER, Mr. MATHESON, Ms. HOOLEY, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. 
ALLEN, Mr. ROSS, Mr. MELANCON, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. GON-
ZALEZ, Mr. ENGEL, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Ms. SOLIS, 
Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. RUSH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. HAR-
MAN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. BARTON of Texas, 
Mr. UPTON, and Ms. MATSUI) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To provide for the establishment of an interagency working 
group to conduct a study to identify the factors that 
affect the pricing of crude oil and refined petroleum 
products, and to make recommendations on appropriate 
coordination of oversight and regulation. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. PETROLEUM PRODUCT PRICING. 
(a) WORKING GROUP.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall establish, and serve as the Chair of, an interagency 
working group consisting of representatives from the Fed-
eral Energy Regulatory Commission, the Federal Trade 
Commission, and other appropriate Federal agencies. 
(b) STUDY.—The working group established under 
subsection (a) shall conduct a study to— 
(1) identify the factors that affect the pricing of 
crude oil and refined petroleum products, including 
an examination of the effects of market speculation 
on prices; and 
(2) review and assess the roles, missions, and 
structures of relevant Federal agencies, examine 
interagency coordination, and identify and assess the 
gaps which need to be filled for the Federal Govern-
ment to effectively oversee and regulate crude oil 
and refined petroleum product markets. 
(c) ELEMENTS
OF STUDY.—Such study shall in-
clude— 
(1) an examination of price formation with re-
spect to crude oil and refined petroleum products; 
(2) an examination of the respective degree to 
which the regulation by national governments, or 
lack thereof, in international markets may allow or 
tolerate excessive speculation, market manipulation, 
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or other abuses which impact crude oil or refined pe-
troleum product prices; and 
(3) an examination of the degree to which 
changes in transparency, liquidity, and structure 
have influenced or driven abuse, manipulation, ex-
cessive speculation, or inefficient price formation. 
(d) CONDUCT OF STUDY.—In conducting the study, 
the Secretary shall— 
(1) utilize the expertise and resources of the Of-
fice of Fossil Energy, the Office of Policy and Inter-
national Affairs, the Office of the General Counsel, 
and such other offices in the Department of Energy 
that have expertise bearing on the operation of and 
laws applying to crude oil and petroleum product 
markets; 
(2) designate one such office to serve as the 
Secretariat for the Task Force; 
(3) utilize the expertise and resources of the 
Energy Information Administration, particularly in 
validating statistical data that may be relevant; and 
(4) be authorized to procure by contract such 
private commercial expertise and resources as are re-
quired to complete the study in a complete, timely, 
and credible manner. 
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(e) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
Each executive department, bureau, commission, agency, 
board, office, independent establishment, or instrumen-
tality of the Federal Government shall make available to 
the working group upon request any data, information, es-
timates, statistics, and access to any employee necessary 
for the conduct of the study under this section. 
(f) PUBLIC HEARINGS.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall provide for not less than 3 public hearings at loca-
tions across the country to take testimony, on the record, 
as part of the fact gathering process to enable the working 
group to perform its functions under this section. 
(g) CONSULTATION.—The working group shall con-
sult with domestic and international oil industry partici-
pants, the financial services and futures industry, com-
modity exchanges, industry and financial consultants, 
wholesale, retail, and consumer organizations, academic 
and nonprofit organizations, and local, State, national, 
and international governmental organizations. 
(h) SUBPOENA POWER.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall have the power to compel the production of records 
and testimony for the purposes of the working group, and 
may exercise the powers of the Department of Energy to 
secure information and data necessary to carry out the 
requirements of this section. 
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(i) REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the conduct of the 
study under this section, the Secretary of Energy 
shall provide to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen-
ate quarterly progress reports, and not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act the Sec-
retary shall transmit to such committees a report 
that— 
(A) describes the results of the study; and 
(B) provides options and the recommenda-
tions of the working group for appropriate Fed-
eral coordination of oversight and regulatory 
actions to ensure transparency of crude oil and 
refined petroleum product pricing and elimi-
nation of excessive speculation. 
(2) IMMEDIATE ACTION.—If at any time during 
the course of the preparation of the study the Sec-
retary of Energy determines that there is a basis for 
a policy recommendation to Congress to modify 
United States laws or regulatory authorities so as to 
protect United States energy consumers from the 
potential for abuse and manipulation by activities 
taking place in energy markets or exchanges, the 
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Secretary shall make such recommendations imme-
diately to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. 
(j) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out this sec-
tion— 
(1) $21,000,000 to the Secretary of Energy; 
(2) $1,000,000 to the Federal Energy Regu-
latory Commission; 
(3) $1,000,000 to the Federal Trade Commis-
sion; and 
(4) $2,000,000 to other Federal agencies par-
ticipating in the interagency working group. 
Æ 
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