Motorist's Bill of Rights: Increasing Gas Supply, Reducing Demand, and Protecting Consumers from Gouging

Bill: 110-hr-2492
Sponsor: Rep. Upton, Fred [R-MI-6]
Introduced: 2007-05-24 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Armed Forces and National Security
Commerce
Consumer protection
Crime and Law Enforcement
Economics and Public Finance
Energy conservation
Energy prices
Energy shortages
Energy supplies
Energy transportation
Environmental Protection
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-state relations
Fines (Penalties)
Fuel consumption
Gasoline
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Heating
Indian lands
Law
Licenses
Military base closures
Minorities
Motor vehicle pollution control
Native Americans
Petroleum
Petroleum industry
Petroleum refineries
Presidential messages
Profit
Public service advertising
Public-private partnerships
Recruiting of employees
Reformulated gasoline
State employees
Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: 
The Motorist's Bill of Rights: Increasing Gas Supply, Reducing Demand, and Protecting Consumers from Gouging - Makes it unlawful, with specified exceptions, for a supplier to increase the price for road transportation fuel or domestic heating fuel by an unconscionable amount in an area during a period covered by a presidential proclamation that an abnormal market disruption has occurred. States that a violation of this Act shall be: (1) treated as an unfair or deceptive act or practice as defined under the Federal Trade Commission Act; and (2) subject to civil and criminal penalties.
 
Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upon the request of a state governor or tribal organization, to provide financial assistance to hire additional personnel to assist a state or Indian tribe with expertise in fields relevant to consideration of federal refinery authorizations. Requires a federal coordinator, upon the request of an applicant seeking a federal refinery authorization, to establish a memorandum of agreement, executed by relevant federal and state agencies, setting forth the most expeditious coordinated schedule possible for completion of all such authorizations. States that such process of authorizations shall apply to a refinery sited or expanded: (1) in a state or on Indian lands where the process of authorization has been requested; or (2) on a closed military installation.
 
Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a public education campaign for U.S. drivers about immediate measures that can be taken to conserve transportation fuel.
 
 
Amends the Clean Air Act to add as &quot;extreme and unusual circumstances that prevent the distribution of an adequate supply of fuel or fuel additives to consumers&quot; under which the Administrator may temporarily waive a control or prohibition on the use of a fuel or fuel additive circumstances that are the result of unexpected problems with equipment necessary for transportation and delivery of fuel or fuel additives. 
 
 
States that EPA shall have no authority, when considering a state implementation plan (SIP) or SIP revision, to approve any fuel included in such plan or revision if the effect of such approval increases the total number of fuels set forth on the published list of approved fuels (currently EPA does not have the authority to approve a fuel if it increases the total number of fuels approved as of September 1, 2004, in all SIPs).
 
Requires notice and opportunity for comment before EPA removes a fuel from the list. Requires EPA to remove a fuel from the list if such fuel has ceased to be included in an SIP or is identical to a federal fuel control or prohibition. Repeals provisions prohibiting EPA from reducing the total number of authorized fuels. Requires EPA to publish a revised list reflecting the reduction in the number of fuels. 
 
 
 
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-06-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Readiness.
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality.
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-05-24
text: Introduced in House