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193 records in US in 2000
United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2000
Oil Supply Improvement Act - Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to prohibit exportation of any crude oil transported by pipeline over a right-of-way granted under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2000
Fuel Energy Affordability and Conservation Act - Title I: Drawdown of Strategic Petroleum Reserve - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to cite additional circumstances for a presidential determination of when a severe energy supply interruption shall be deemed to exist. Mandates that proceeds from sales of petroleum drawn down pursuant to such determinations be: (1) deposited in the SPR Petroleum Account; and (2) used only for specified purposes. Directs the President to report to certain congressional committees on causes and potential consequences if the price of a barrel of crude oil exceeds $25 for a period greater than 14 days. Title II: Credits for Energy Efficiency Improvements by Homeowners and Small Businesses - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow as a tax credit of 20 percent of the expenses (up to $2000) of qualified energy efficiency improvements by: (1) the taxpayer to an existing home; and (2) eligible small businesses to improvements placed in service during the taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) if the March 27 Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) summit does not result in a decision to increase production sufficiently to reduce the price of oil in the United States, then the President and the Secretary of Energy should draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat unfair OPEC foreign trade practices and alleviate the severely deleterious consequences to people and business in the United States that those practices have caused; (2) Congress should immediately pass, and the President should sign into law, legislation to reauthorize the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and extend the President's authority to release SPR oil; and (3) the President and the Secretary should prepare for potential future threats to the economy and energy supply of the United States by developing methods to increase crude oil quantities in the SPR and promote a diversified energy portfolio.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2000
Agriculture Competition Enhancement Act - Establishes within the Department of Agriculture a Special Counsel for Competition Matters, to be appointed by the President subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. (Sec. 4) Directs the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission to notify the Secretary of Agriculture of specified (size- and market share-related) agribusiness premerger filings under the Clayton Act, and provide the Secretary with an opportunity to participate in such review. States that in addition to such antittrust review the Special Counsel shall conduct a contemporaneous review of the proposed action's marketplace effect on independent producers and family farmers, and may challenge such merger or acquisition. Authorizes the Special Counsel to request notification of a smaller merger or acquisition that may threaten market competition. Sets forth procedural provisions. Amends the Clayton Act with respect to proposed agricultural mergers or acquisitions. (Sec. 5) Sets forth: (1) unlawful practices for agricultural dealers, processors, commission merchants, or brokers; and (2) related enforcement provisions. (Sec. 6) Requires specified dealers, processors, commission merchants, or brokers to report annually respecting their corporate structure. (Sec. 7) Prohibits confidentiality clauses in livestock and poultry production contracts. (Sec. 8) Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to: (1) remove the slaughter requirement from the definitions of "poultry grower," "poultry growing arrangement," and "live poultry dealer;" and (2) extend administrative enforcement authority to live poultry dealers. (Sec. 9) Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize business and industry guaranteed loans for non-rural sited, farmer-owned projects that add value to or process agricultural commodities. (Sec. 10) Directs the Secretary to hire sufficient staff to carry out agribusiness merger review and related enforcement activities. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations for the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration to monitor the competitive implications of structural changes in the meat packing industry. Earmarks funds for enforcement activities. (Sec. 12) Establishes within the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice an Assistant Attorney General for Agricultural Antitrust Matters. (Sec. 13) Increases certain Federal Trade Commission premerger filing fees (Hart-Scott-Rodino filing fees), to be partially earmarked for agribusiness-related staff increases at the Transportation, Energy and Agriculture section of the Department of Justice.
United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2000
National Resource Governance Act of 2000 - Establishes the National Energy Self-Sufficiency Commission, which shall: (1) investigate issues involving U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources; (2) evaluate proposals to make the United States self-sufficient in energy production by the year 2010; (3) explore alternative energy sources; (4) investigate areas currently not being used for oil exploration and drilling; and (5) expand drilling in areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and offshore. Precludes the Commission from recommending an increase in taxes or other revenues, or import restrictions on oil or other commodities. Directs the Commission to detail its findings, conclusions and recommendations in a report to Congress and the President. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Suspends exports of Alaskan North Slope crude oil until the President determines and reports to Congress that the U.S. economy is not experiencing a shortage of foreign crude oil or an inflationary impact due to the demand for foreign crude oil.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Repeals a specified section of the Mineral Leasing Act authorizing the export of Alaskan North Slope crude oil. Reimposes a specified section of the Export Administration Act of 1979 prohibiting the export of such oil. Directs the President to exercise the authorities he has under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to carry out this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Clean Air and Water Preservation Act of 2000 - Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) as a fuel additive. Makes such prohibition effective three years after this Act's enactment date. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to require, during the period beginning on this Act's enactment and ending three years after such date, persons selling gasoline that contains MTBE at retail to label the fuel dispensing system with a notice that the gasoline contains MTBE. (Sec. 4) Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Administrator to amend certain guidelines to require State source water assessment programs to be revised to prioritize groundwater areas and aquifers that have been contaminated, or are most vulnerable to contamination, by MTBE. Directs the Administrator to develop a clear set of technical guidelines to assist States in the investigation and cleanup of MTBE in groundwater. (Sec. 5) Revises the oxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline under the Clean Air Act to require the oxygen content to equal or exceed an average of two percent by weight (currently, equal or exceed two percent by weight). Invalidates Federal regulations that establish a per-gallon minimum oxygen content (percent, by weight). (Sec. 6) Requires the Administrator to revise regulations regarding reformulated gasoline to ensure that the ozone forming potential, taking into account all ozone precursors, of the aggregate emissions during the high ozone season from baseline vehicles when using reformulated gasoline does not exceed such potential of the emissions from such vehicles when using reformulated gasoline that complies with regulations that were in effect on January 1, 2000, and applicable to such gasoline sold in 2000 and thereafter. Limits the hydrocarbon content of reformulated gasoline to the average content of such gasoline sold in covered nonattainment areas during the year 2000. (Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator to report to the President and Congress on the potential for development of oxygenate alternatives to MTBE not identified in this Act and to evaluate what steps would be appropriate to foster development of such alternatives should they be found to be acceptable substitutes for MTBE. (Sec. 8) Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should promote renewable ethanol to replace MTBE and encourage oil refiners to make the transition from MTBE-blended fuel to ethanol-blended fuel as soon as possible.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2000
Calls on the President to direct the Secretary of Energy to: (1) take immediate action to negotiate with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and with non-OPEC nations to increase oil production sufficient to mitigate the current supply crisis such that world oil prices reach a sustainable level for both producer and consumer nations; and (2) develop a plan and recommend to Congress by July 1, 2000, both short-term and long-term solutions by which the United States can reduce its dependence on foreign oil.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2000
Expresses that it is the sense of Congress that: (1) members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries should immediately increase crude oil production; (2) nations that act to restrict the supply of crude oil do serious damage to their relations with the United States; (3) continued diplomatic efforts by the United States are necessary to convince all major crude oil exporting countries that current price levels are unsustainable and will cause widespread economic harm; (4) the United States will note actions by these countries to restrict or expand the production of crude oil when considering possible non-humanitarian assistance or trade benefits; (5) the President should review administrative policies that may put an undue burden on domestic crude oil producers and should consider rescinding unnecessary regulations that interfere with the ability of the U.S. energy industry to meet a greater percentage of U.S. energy needs; and (6) Congress and the President should work together to develop policies that will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
Instructs the Secretary of Energy to maintain an Office of Independent Security Oversight (Office), headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary and solely under such Secretary's supervision. Confers responsibility upon such Office for independent evaluations of the effectiveness of Department of Energy (DOE): (1) safeguards, security policies, practices, and programs (including the National Nuclear Security Administration); and (2) computer security policies and programs, including the establishment and maintenance of a continuous Internet security assessment program potentially vulnerable to computer hackers. Cites Office functions. Requires annual status reports to Congress by the Secretary and the Office. Instructs the Director to provide the Secretary with advance notice of the subject matter of any testimony or briefing prepared for Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
External Regulation of the Department of Energy Act - Transfers from the Department of Energy to: (1) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) nuclear safety regulatory and enforcement responsibilities under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954; and (2) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulatory and enforcement jurisdiction relating to matters covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act for DOE facilities. (Sec. 3) Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to abolish the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. (Sec. 4) Provides that if a hazard at a DOE facility presents a risk of occupational exposure and contains both a radiological and non-radiological component, OSHA and the NRC shall share regulatory and enforcement responsibilities in accordance with a mandated Memorandum of Understanding governing their respective authorities over nuclear safety and occupational health and safety at DOE facilities. (Sec. 6) Shields a DOE contractor from civil liability for actions taken before October 1, 2001, pursuant to the instructions of a Federal agency in preparation for the transfer of functions under this Act. (Sec. 7) Maintains the responsibility of the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to indemnify DOE facilities in accordance with specified provisions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. (Sec. 8) Instructs the Secretary to transmit to certain congressional committees a termination plan for DOE regulatory and enforcement responsibilities with respect to DOE facilities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2000
2000 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act - Makes emergency supplemental appropriations for FY 2000. Title I: Counternarcotics - Chapter 1: Department of Justice - Makes additional funds available for salaries and expenses of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Chapter 2: Department of Defense--Military - Makes additional funds available for defense drug interdiction and counter-drug activities. Makes a limited amount available out of amounts appropriated in this Act for the Department of Defense (DOD) for support for counter-drug activities of the Government of Colombia. Subjects the obligation or expenditure of such funds to a specified certification by the Secretary of Defense under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 with respect to authorized uses, security of equipment, review by U.S. personnel, and certain other related factors. Chapter 3: Bilateral Economic Assistance - Makes funds available to the Department of State for Plan Colombia and Andean regional counternarcotics activities. Requires the Secretary of State, prior to obligation of such funds, to report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Appropriations Committees on proposed uses of such funds on a country-by-country basis. Chapter 4: Military Construction, Defense-Wide - Provides additional funds for defense-wide military construction. Title II: Peacekeeping Operations in Kosovo and Other National Security Matters - Chapter 1: Department of State - Makes additional funds available for security and maintenance of U.S. missions. Chapter 2: Department of Defense--Military - Provides additional funds for Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard operation and maintenance (O&M) as well as defense-wide O&M for assistance to Vieques, Puerto Rico. Makes additional funds available for: (1) the Overseas Contingency Operations Transfer Fund; (2) Air Force aircraft procurement; and (3) the Defense Health Program. (Sec. 2201) Requires members of the uniformed services (from January 1, 2000 through FY 2001) entitled to a basic allowance for housing for a U.S. military housing area to be paid the allowance at a monthly rate not less than the rate in effect on December 31, 1999, in such area for members serving in the same pay grade and with the same dependency status. Authorizes the Secretary of Defense, in light of the rates so authorized, to exceed the limitation on the total amount paid for the basic housing allowance in FY 2000 and 2001. (Sec. 2202) Appropriates additional funds for the Defense-Wide Working Capital Fund for price increases resulting from worldwide increases in the price of petroleum. (Sec. 2205) Makes additional appropriations for the Defense Health Program for unanticipated increases in TRICARE contract costs for FY 1998 through 2001. Chapter 3: Bilateral Economic Assistance - Provides additional funds for: (1) operating expenses of the Agency for International Development; (2) assistance for Eastern Europe and the Baltic States only for assistance for Montenegro and Croatia, assistance to promote democratization in Serbia, and assistance for Kosovo for police activities; (3) international military education and training and foreign military financing for grants to Balkan and southeastern European countries. Chapter 4: Military Construction, Defense-Wide - Appropriates additional funds to DOD to cover incremental O&M costs to family housing. (Sec. 2403) Provides that this section supersedes authority provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000. Incorporates provisions similar to those contained in such Act that authorize the Secretary of the Air Force to carry out a Base Efficiency Project at Brooks Air Force Base in Texas. Bars the Secretary from exercising such authority until he submits a master plan for Base development to the appropriate congressional committees. Subjects the use of the Base Efficiency Project Fund to advance appropriations. Makes additional funds available for Army Reserve military construction to cover the costs arising from the consequences of Hurricane Floyd. Title III: Natural Disaster Assistance and Other Emergency Appropriations - Chapter 1: Department of Agriculture - Provides additional funds for: (1) the Office of the Inspector General; (2) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service salaries and expenses; and (3) Farm Service Agency salaries and expenses. Authorizes the use of unobligated balances under the emergency conservation program to be used to repair and reconstruct farm structures and equipment after a finding by the Secretary of Agriculture that: (1) the damage or destruction is the result of Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene; and (2) insurance was not available to the grantee or the grantee lacked financial resources to obtain insurance. Makes additional funds available for the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund to provide premium discounts to purchasers of crop insurance reinsured by the Corporation (except for catastrophic risk protection coverage). Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to reduce the amount of any principal due on a loan made to a marketing association for the 1999 crop of an agricultural commodity by up to 75 percent if the association suffered losses to the commodity due to Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene. Makes additional funds available for the Rural Community Advancement Program for water and waste grants and community facilities grants. Provides additional funds for the Rural Housing Service for: (1) the Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program Account for needs resulting from natural disasters; (2) the rental assistance program for emergency needs resulting from Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene; (3) mutual and self-help and rural housing assistance grants and contracts for needs resulting from natural disasters; and (4) the farm labor program account for grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farm workers for needs resulting from natural disasters. Makes additional funds available for the Rural Utilities Service for the Rural Electrification and Telecommunications Loans Program Account for loans to enable nonprofit cooperatives to purchase a utility to address the high cost of electric power in a service area attributable in part to a hurricane disaster. Provides additional funds for: (1) the Foreign Agricultural Service and General Sales Manager; (2) Food and Drug Administration buildings and facilities; and (3) technical assistance performed by any Department of Agriculture agency in carrying out the Conservation or Wetlands Reserve Programs. Chapter 2: Department of Commerce - Makes additional funds available for: (1) the Economic Development Administration for economic development assistance programs for communities affected by Hurricane Floyd and other recent hurricanes and disasters; (2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for operations, research, and facilities to provide disaster assistance; and (3) the Small Business Administration for the disaster loans program account. Chapter 3: Department of Defense--Civil - Provides additional funds for: (1) a Corps of Engineers study and report to Congress on the feasibility of a flood damage reduction project for Princeville, North Carolina; and (2) O&M for emergency expenses due to natural disasters. Provides additional funds for the Department of Energy (DOE) for: (1) the Uranium Enrichment Decontamination and Decommissioning Fund; and (2) atomic energy defense activities. Chapter 4: Department of the Interior - Makes additional funds available for: (1) Bureau of Land Management wildland fire management for emergency rehabilitation and wildfire suppression activities; (2) Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service construction activities with respect to facilities and sites damaged by natural disasters; and (3) Geological Survey surveys, investigations, and research to repair or replace stream monitoring equipment and associated facilities damaged by natural disasters. Provides additional funds for Forest Service wildland fire management for emergency rehabilitation, presuppression, and wildfire suppression. Chapter 5: Department of Health and Human Services - Makes additional funds available for the Administration for Children and Families for emergency low income home energy assistance. Chapter 6: Department of Transportation - Provides additional funds for: (1) Coast Guard operating expenses; (2) the Federal-aid highways emergency relief program; and (3) National Transportation Safety Board salaries and expenses for emergency expenses associated with the investigations of the EgyptAir 990 and Alaska Air 261 accidents. (Sec. 3601) Bars the use of funds provided in the Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 for operation of the transportation computer center. (Sec. 3602) Makes the Executive Draft on Federal Transportation in the National Capital Region submitted by the Secretary of Transportation effective on this Act's enactment date. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on the implementation of the Executive Draft. Chapter 7: Department of Housing and Urban Development - Provides additional funds for the HOME investment partnerships program. Makes unobligated amounts available under Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 available for certain one-year grants for permanent or rental housing for homeless persons with disabilities. Authorizes an increase in Federal Emergency Management Agency authority to use unobligated balances of disaster relief. Provides additional funds for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for: (1) human space flight for upgrades to the space shuttle fleet; (2) science, aeronautics and technology for unanticipated program needs; and (3) mission support for augmentation of personnel required to support the space shuttle program. Title IV: Supplemental Appropriations and Offsets - Chapter 1: Department of Energy - Makes additional funds available for atomic energy weapons activities. Chapter 2: Related Agencies - Provides additional funds for: (1) the Forest Service for State and private forestry to be derived by transfer from unobligated wildland fire management funds for volunteer fire assistance programs in eastern North Carolina; and (2) DOE energy conservation for weatherization assistance grants. Chapter 3: Department of Labor - Amends the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 to authorize funds to be collected by the National Mine Health and Safety Academy for authorized activities under provisions making appropriations for salaries and expenses of the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Provides additional funds for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the Health Resources and Services Administration to make competitive grants to provide abstinence education to adolescents. Makes FY 2000 Administration for Children and Families refugee and entrant assistance provided under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 available through FY 2002. Provides additional funds for payments to States for foster care and adoption assistance. (Sec. 4302) Repeals a provision of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 that withholds the obligation of specified Department of HHS funds until certain dates. Chapter 4: Legislative Branch - Provides additional funds for: (1) the Capitol Police Board for security enhancements to Library of Congress buildings and grounds; and (2) Capitol buildings and grounds fire safety. Chapter 6 (sic): Department of Veterans Affairs - Makes funds appropriated for the Veterans Health Administration for medical care available for assistance for the 2000 Paralympic Games. Makes additional funds available for the Federal Housing Administration for the general and special risk program account. Chapter 7: Offsets - Bars the use of funds made available by any Act to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out provisions of law relating to the Fund for Rural America or the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems. Rescinds specified amounts of funds made available for: (1) DOE defense environmental restoration and waste management and for implementation of a U.S.-Russian accord for the disposition of excess weapons plutonium; (2) Department of HHS general departmental management; and (3) conversion of Federal information technology systems that were transferred to the Department of Transportation. Title V: General Provisions--This Act - Repeals provisions of law that require payment of: (1) basic pay and allowances for members of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy for the pay period ending on September 30, 2000, no earlier than October 1, 2000; and (2) pay of Federal employees that would be payable on September 29 or 30, 2000, for the preceding pay period on October 1, 2000. (Sec. 5104) Prohibits a sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to eliminate a FY 2000 breach that might be caused by appropriations or other provisions of this Act. (Sec. 5105) Deems funds made available in this Act for intelligence activities to be specifically authorized by Congress for purposes of the National Security Act of 1947. (Sec. 5106) Repeals certain provisions regarding progress payments and payment procedures of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000. (Sec. 5107) Bars the use of FY 2000 funds appropriated to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the relocation of the Technical Training Center from Chattanooga, Tennessee. (Sec. 5108) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should place the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia) on the list of foreign terrorist organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of the Interior to undertake capital projects for the Recovery Implementation Program for Endangered Fish Species in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. Terminates the authority to implement projects for such Programs at the end of FY 2005 and 2007, respectively. Limits to $100 million the total cost of authorized projects. Authorizes the: (1) Secretary to accept contributed funds from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, or political subdivisions or organizations thereof, pursuant to agreements that provide for such contributions to be used for capital project costs; and (2) Secretary and the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Western Power Administration, to utilize for such projects power revenues not exceeding $17 million collected pursuant to the Colorado River Storage Project Act. Makes funds available on a matching basis with funds contributed by the above States. Authorizes alternative project funding through loans from the Colorado Water Conservation Board Construction Fund (with specified loan requirements). Authorizes the Secretary to utilize the power revenues, above, for the annual base funding contributions to the programs by the Bureau of Reclamation. Provides funding limits for each Basin Program. Terminates at the end of FY 2011 the authority for the use of power revenues for annual base funding, with an exception. Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on the use of such revenues. Requires the Administration and the Bureau to maintain sufficient Fund revenues to meet the base funding requirements. States that nothing in this Act shall restrict the Secretary from funding activities or capital projects in accordance with the Federal Government's Indian trust responsibility.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Fuel Pricing Fairness Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to promulgate regulations that: (1) apply to all crude oil, residual fuel oil, or refined petroleum products; (2) prohibit unreasonable price increases by an energy-producing company; and (3) impose a maximum civil penalty of $1 million for each unreasonable price increase. Directs the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to determine at least annually whether any energy-producing company has implemented an unreasonable price increase in violation of such regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that if the March 27 summit of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) does not result in a decision to increase production sufficiently to reduce the price of oil in the United States, reversing OPEC's market-distorting behavior, then the President and the Secretary of Energy should: (1) draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat OPEC's unfair foreign trade practices and alleviate the deleterious consequences to people and business in the United States that those practices have caused; and (2) prepare for future threats to the U.S. economy and energy supply by developing methods to draw down the SPR quickly when needed, and increase the quantity of SPR crude oil over time in an economically reasonable manner.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2000
See summary of: H.Con.Res. 267
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Summer Fill and Fuel Budgeting Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of Energy, in order to avoid severe seasonal price increases and supply shortages of propane, kerosene, and heating oil, to provide, upon State request, information, technical assistance, and funding to: (1) develop education and outreach programs to encourage consumers to fill their storage facilities for such fuels during the summer months; and (2) promote the use of budget contracts, fixed-price contracts, and other advantageous financial arrangements. Directs the Secretary to give preference to States that contribute public funds or leverage private funds to develop State summer fill and fuel budgeting programs. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Arctic Coastal Plain Domestic Energy Security Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Land Management, to: (1) establish and implement a competitive oil and gas leasing program for the exploration, development, and production of oil and gas resources in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Alaska); (2) ensure that such program does not result in significant adverse effects upon either fish, wildlife, or the environment; and (3) ensure receipt of fair market value by the public for the mineral resources to be leased. (Sec. 3) Amends the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 to repeal the proscription against the leasing or development for oil or gas production on the Coastal Plain. Declares that: (1) Congress has determined that such oil and gas leasing activities are compatible with the purposes for which the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was established; and (2) no further findings or decisions are required. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as Special Areas closed to leasing, but within which the Secretary may permit: (1) restrictive lease terms with respect to surface use and occupancy; and (2) the use of horizontal drilling technology from sites located outside the designated Special Areas. States that this Act constitutes the Secretary's sole authority to close lands to oil and gas exploration and production within the Coastal Plain. Directs the Secretary to convey: (1) the surface estate of specified Coastal Plain lands to the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation; and (2) the subsurface estate beneath such surface estate to the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. (Sec. 6) Prescribes procedural guidelines for lease sales on the Coastal Plain, including lease terms, conditions, and bonding requirements. Provides for expedited judicial review in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia with respect to actions of the Secretary. (Sec. 12) Directs the Secretary to grant rights of way and easements across the Coastal Plain for oil and gas transportation. Mandates that all revenues received by the Federal Government from competitive transactions and charges derived from Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing be deposited into the Treasury. Instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay semiannually to the State of Alaska the same percentage of such revenues as is set forth in specified law.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), at the request of a specified licensee, to extend for three consecutive two-year periods the period during which such licensee is required to commence construction of a hydroelectric project in the State of Alabama. Requires FERC to reinstate the project license if it has expired before enactment of this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 8 March 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the President and the Secretary of Energy should draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat unfair foreign trade practices of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and alleviate the deleterious consequences to people and business in the United States that those practices have caused; and (2) the President and the Secretary should prepare for future threats to the U.S. economy and energy supply by developing methods to draw down the SPR quickly when needed, and increase the quantity of SPR crude oil over time in an economically reasonable manner.
United States · United States Congress · 6 March 2000
Oil Price Reduction Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy: (1) to determine the political, economic, and security relations of the United States with the major net oil exporting countries according to whether they engage in oil price fixing; and (2) to work multilaterally with other countries that are major net oil importers to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Directs the President to report to Congress with respect to: (1) the overall economic and security relationship between the United States and each major net oil exporting country (including Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) countries); (2) the effect that coordination among such countries with respect to oil production and pricing has had on the U.S. economy and global energy supplies; (3) information on all assistance programs under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (including licenses for the export of defense articles and defense services) provided to such countries; and (4) whether or not each country is engaging in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Requires the President, pursuant to such report, to reduce, suspend, or terminate such assistance to each country determined by the President to be engaged in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to undertake a diplomatic campaign to convince: (1) all major net oil exporting countries that the current oil price levels are unsustainable and will negatively affect global economic growth rates in oil consuming and developing countries; and (2) other major net oil importing countries to join in multilateral efforts to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Requires the President to report to Congress with respect to such diplomatic efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Sets a three-year term of office for the first person appointed as Under Secretary for Nuclear Security of the Department of Energy. Makes inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office the exclusive reasons for removing such person from office.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Price-Anderson Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to extend to August 1, 2012, the indemnification authority of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission with respect to licensees and nonprofit educational institutions. Makes such indemnification authority permanent for the Department of Energy (DOE) with respect to contractors. (Sec. 3) Increases from $10 million to $20 million the maximum amount of standard deferred premium that may be charged a licensee following a nuclear incident in any one year for each facility for which the licensee is required to maintain the maximum amount of primary financial protection. (Sec. 4) Sets a $10 billion ceiling upon the aggregate DOE liability limit pursuant to DOE indemnification agreements and for each nuclear incident. Provides that all agreements which obligate DOE to indemnify a person are deemed to be amended to reflect the indemnification amount for both public liability and any applicable financial protection required of the contractor as of the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 5) Increases from $100 million to $500 million the indemnification amount and the aggregate public liability limitation due from DOE for incidents outside the United States. (Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary of Energy to adjust the indemnification agreement amount in accordance with the aggregate percentage change in the Consumer Price Index at least once during each five-year period. (Sec. 8) Repeals the directive to the Secretary to determine whether a nonprofit educational institution should receive an automatic remission of any penalties for violations of DOE regulations. Shields a nonprofit contractor, subcontractor, or supplier from a civil penalty in excess of any performance fee paid by the Secretary.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President and the Secretary of Energy should: (1) draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) directly through time exchanges (swaps) or other means to combat unfair foreign trade practices of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and alleviate their severely deleterious consequences to people and businesses in the United States; and (2) prepare for future threats to the domestic economy and energy supply by developing methods to draw down the SPR when needed, and increase SPR crude oil quantity over time in an economically reasonable manner.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2000
Oil Price Reduction Act of 2000 - Declares it to be U.S. policy: (1) to determine the political, economic, and security relations of the United States with the major net oil exporting countries according to whether they engage in oil price fixing; and (2) to work multilaterally with other countries that are major net oil importers to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Directs the President to report to Congress with respect to: (1) the overall economic and security relationship between the United States and each major net oil exporting country (including Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)); (2) the effect that coordination among such countries with respect to oil production and pricing has had on the U.S. economy and global energy supplies; (3) information on all assistance provided to such countries under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act (including licenses for the export of defense articles and defense services); and (4) the President's determination as to whether or not each such country is engaging in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Requires the President to reduce, suspend, or terminate such assistance to each country determined to be engaged in oil price fixing to the detriment of the U.S. economy. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should continue to undertake a diplomatic campaign to convince : (1) all major net oil exporting countries that the current oil price levels are unsustainable and will negatively affect global economic growth rates in oil consuming and developing countries; and (2) other major net oil importing countries to join in multilateral efforts to bring about the complete dismantlement of international oil price fixing arrangements. Requires the President to report to Congress with respect to such diplomatic efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2000
Stable Oil Supply Home Heating Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to mandate that voluntary plans for home heating oil reserve be submitted to the Secretary of Energy by importers, refiners, and wholesalers holding oil inventories for sale to markets in the Northeast in order to ensure stability in energy fuel markets and to protect consumers from dramatic price swings. Prescribes implementation and certification guidelines, including an antitrust defense for actions taken in compliance with this Act. Exempts certain small-sized importers and refiners. Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue an order requiring the establishment of a private home heating oil reserve for the Northeast if a certified plan has not been implemented within a specified time frame for an importer, refiner, or wholesaler that stores heating oil for sale in the Northeast; (2) periodically monitor supply levels to ensure that home heating oil inventories in the Northeast are adequate to supply customer needs during the present or following winter season so as to obviate sudden price increases caused by inadequate inventories; (3) require an importer, refiner, or wholesaler to increase its inventory if the Secretary determines that inventories are insufficient; and (4) establish civil penalties and cooperate with State energy authorities in carrying out this Act. Instructs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to take action to enable importers, refiners, or wholesalers to sell their remaining excess inventories at the end of each winter season.
United States · United States Congress · 29 February 2000
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Federal government should: (1) promote the continued use of renewable ethanol in the Chicago reformulated gasoline market and in other reformulated gasoline areas as a means of enhancing energy security and supporting farm income; (2) allow State and local governments the option of limiting the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) as an oxygenate until those governments are certain that MTBE will not harm their environments; and (3) require the Environmental Protection Agency to revise the Phase II reformulated gasoline regulations under the Clean Air Act to allow ethanol to remain a viable oxygenate within the Act's reformulated gasoline program.
United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2000
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the President should immediately communicate to the members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel and non-OPEC countries that participate in the cartel of crude oil producing countries that the United States seeks an immediate lifting of the OPEC crude oil production quotas; (2) the President should review policies that may put an undue burden on domestic crude oil producers and consider lifting unnecessary regulations that interfere with the ability of U.S. energy industries to supply a greater percentage of U.S. energy needs; and (3) the Senate should appropriate sufficient funds in the FY 2001 Federal budget for the development of alternative energy resources, including measures to increase the use of biofuels and other renewable resources, to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Electric Power Market Competition and Reliability Act - Title I: Amendments to the Federal Power Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to: (1) place within the ambit of Federal regulation unbundled interstate transmission of electric energy sold at retail; and (2) place within the jurisdiction of the State within which the energy is consumed the bundled retail sale of electric energy, unbundled local distribution service, and unbundled retail sale of electric energy and attendant facilities. (Sec. 101) Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to determine which electric energy delivery and transmission facilities fall within either Federal or State jurisdictions. (Sec. 102) Repeals the prohibition against mandatory retail wheeling and sham wholesale transactions. Precludes FERC authority to issue promulgations that require or are conditioned upon the transmission of electric energy directly to an ultimate consumer, or to or for the benefit of an electric or other utility if such electric energy would be sold directly to an ultimate consumer, unless applicable State law requires or permits the relevant seller to sell it to such consumer. (Sec. 103) Identifies areas within the ambit of State jurisdiction to impose public interest requirements, including: (1) distribution system reliability; (2) universal service; (3) assured service to low-income, rural, and remote consumers; (4) recovery of industry transition costs; and (5) transition costs of electricity workers adversely affected by restructuring. (Sec. 104) Prescribes procedural guidelines for FERC approval of: (1) regional transmission organizations; (2) transmission construction and expansion planning proposals; and (3) pricing policies for regional transmission organizations. (Sec. 105) Recognizes State authority to impose reciprocity requirements on an electric utility selling electric energy to an ultimate consumer in such State if the utility or any of its affiliates owns or controls transmission or local distribution facilities and is not itself providing unbundled local distribution service in a State in which it owns or operates a facility used for electric energy generation. (Sec. 107) Expresses the sense of Congress that public utilities are entitled to fully recover all prudently incurred wholesale and retail costs that become stranded as a result of changes in public policy with respect to competition and industry structure. Title II: Repeal of PURPA Mandatory Purchase Requirement - States that, with respect to new contracts, no electric utility shall be required to enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase or sell electricity or capacity under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). Preserves existing contract rights and remedies under such Act. (Sec. 202) Requires FERC to promulgate and enforce regulations to ensure that an electric utility shall not be required to absorb costs associated with PURPA-mandated purchases of electricity or capacity from a qualifying cogeneration or small power production facility prior to the date of enactment of this Act. Title III: Electric Reliability - Amends the FPA to provide for the establishment and enforcement of mandatory reliability standards to ensure the reliable operation of the bulk-power system. Grants FERC jurisdiction over: (1) the Electric Reliability Organization; (2) all Affiliated Regional Reliability Entities (entities to which authority has been delegated to enforce compliance with reliability standards); (3) all System Operators, and all Users of the Bulk-Power System for purposes of approving and enforcing compliance with standards in the United States. Provides that, before establishment of the Electric Reliability Organization (Organization), any person (including the North American Electric Reliability Council and its member Regional Reliability Councils) shall file a proposed reliability standard, guidance, or practice which, subject to FERC approval, shall be mandatory and enforceable. (Sec. 301) Prescribes procedural guidelines for FERC approval of: (1) applications competing for status as the Electric Reliability Council; and (2) Organization Standards. Requires all Users of the Bulk-Power System to comply with such standards. Mandates that: (1) the Organization take all appropriate steps to gain recognition in Canada and Mexico; and (2) the United States use its best efforts to enter into international agreements with the governments of Canada and Mexico to effectuate compliance with Organization standards, and to provide for the effectiveness of the Organization's mission. Requires every System Operator to be a member of the Electric Reliability Organization, and of any Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity operating under an agreement applicable to the region in which the System Operator operates or is responsible for the operation of a Bulk-Power System facility. Empowers the Organization to take disciplinary and enforcement action. Directs the Organization to assess periodically the reliability and adequacy of the inter-connected Bulk-Power System in North America, and to report its findings and recommendations annually to FERC and to the Secretary. Provides for the assessment and recovery of implementation and enforcement costs incurred by the Organization and each Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity, respectively. (Sec. 302) Establishes a rebuttable presumption that activities undertaken pursuant to this Act by either the Electric Reliability Organization, its members, or members of an Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity to be in compliance with the antitrust laws. (Sec. 304) Instructs the Secretary of Energy, upon the petition of the Governors of at least two-thirds of the States within a region that have more than one-half of their electrical loads serviced within the region, to establish a regional advisory body to provide advice to an Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity, the Electric Reliability Organization, or FERC. Declares this title inapplicable to Alaska or Hawaii. Title IV: Repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and Enactment of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1999 - Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1999 - Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 effective one year after enactment of this title. (Sec. 405) Prescribes procedural guidelines for: (1) FERC access to records of a public utility or natural gas holding company (including subsidiaries, associates and affiliates); and (2) and State access to records of a public utility in a holding company system. (Sec. 407) Instructs FERC to promulgate a final rule to exempt from such Federal access requirements any holding company with respect to one or more: (1) qualifying facilities under PURPA; (2) exempt wholesale generators; or (3) foreign utility companies. Requires FERC to exempt any person or transaction from such access requirements if it finds that their regulation is irrelevant to the jurisdictional rates of a public utility or natural gas company. (Sec. 408) Retains the jurisdiction of FERC and State commissions to determine whether a public utility company or natural gas company may recover in rates any costs of affiliate transactions. (Sec. 409) Declares this Act inapplicable to: (1) the United States; (2) a State or its political subdivision; and (3) a foreign governmental authority not operating in the United States. (Sec. 411) Grants FERC certain FPA enforcement powers. (Sec. 414) Transfers from the Securities and Exchange Commission to FERC all books and records that relate primarily to the functions vested in FERC by this Act. (Sec. 415) Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 416) Amends the FPA to repeal its conflict of jurisdiction guidelines. Title V: Nuclear Decommissioning - Nuclear Decommissioning Assurance Act - Permits a nuclear power facility licensee to petition the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a determination of whether: (1) adequate amounts are deposited in its nuclear decommissioning trust fund; and (2) future funding for any nuclear power plant is assured for any nuclear power plant owned in whole or in part by such licensee. (Sec. 503) Sets a timeframe by which the NRC must issue a determination whether the nuclear decommissioning trust fund and the currently approved decommissioning recovery cost rates are adequate to ensure full and safe facility decommissioning. Details mandatory NRC considerations. (Sec. 504) Amends the Federal Power Act to authorize any entity, including a public power entity, responsible for decommissioning a nuclear power facility in whole or in part, which has obtained an NRC finding under this title, to petition FERC for an order approving rates and charges in connection with the transmission or wholesale sale of electric energy to collect all or part of the revenues necessary to ensure adequate funding to satisfy its decommissioning obligations. Instructs FERC to: (1) find certain decommissioning costs and revenue requirements, determined necessary by the NRC, to be just and reasonable, prudently incurred, and recoverable in transaction or wholesale rates; (2) find the remainder of such costs which are not recovered to be just and reasonable, prudently incurred, and recoverable through a nonbypassable charge or rate; and (3) enforce any rule or order designed to ensure collection of adequate decommissioning revenues.
United States · United States Congress · 24 February 2000
Stable Oil Supply (SOS) Home Heating Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to urge importers, refiners, and wholesalers holding primary heating oil inventories for sale to markets in the Northeast to develop and submit voluntary plans to maintain readily available minimum product inventories in order to mitigate the risk of severe price increases and to reduce adverse impacts upon regional and national economies. Directs the Secretary of Energy to report to Congress regarding the certification status of submitted voluntary plans. Provides a defense to an antitrust action brought against such voluntary plans. Requires the Secretary, if a certified plan is not implemented for each such importer, refiner, and wholesaler, to establish a private home heating oil reserve for the Northeast, according to specified requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 16 February 2000
Declares that the President violated the good faith of Congress and ignored or disregarded the concerns and objections of citizen stakeholders and State and local governments by declaring the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the Agua Fria National Monument, and the California Coastal National Monument, and expanding the Pinnacles National Monument on January 12, 2000. Calls upon the President and the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) disclose immediately to the public any plans for additional national monument declarations; and (2) seek formal input from all stakeholders, State and local governments, and Congress before declaring any national monument, including the Sequoia National Monument, in a manner that is consistent with H.R. 1487 (national monument declarations) as passed by the House of Representatives and reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in the106th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 15 February 2000
Home Heating Readiness Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (acting through the Administrator of the Energy Information Agency) to submit to Congress a Home Heating Readiness Report on the readiness of the heating oil and propane industries to supply fuel under various weather conditions, including rapid decreases in temperature. Specifies Report contents.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Electric Reliability 2000 Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to provide for the establishment and enforcement of mandatory reliability standards to ensure the reliable operation of the bulk-power system. Grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Corporation (FERC) jurisdiction, for purposes of approving and enforcing compliance with standards in the United States, over: (1) the electric reliability organization; (2) all Affiliated Regional Reliability Entities (entities to which authority has been delegated to enforce compliance with reliability standards); (3) all system operators; and (4) all users of the bulk-power system. Provides that, prior to the establishment of the Electric Reliability Organization (Organization), any person (including the North American Electric Reliability Council and its member Regional Reliability Councils) may file a proposed reliability standard, guidance, or practice which, subject to FERC approval, shall be mandatory and enforceable. Prescribes procedural guidelines for FERC approval of: (1) applications competing for status as the Electric Reliability Council; and (2) Organization standards. Requires all users of the bulk-power system to comply with such standards. Mandates that: (1) the Organization take all appropriate steps to gain recognition in Canada and Mexico; and (2) the United States use its best efforts to enter into international agreements with the governments of Canada and Mexico to effectuate compliance with Organization standards, and to provide for the effectiveness of the Organization's mission. Requires every system operator to be a member of the Organization and of any Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity operating under an agreement applicable to the region in which the system operator operates or is responsible for the operation of a bulk-power system facility. Empowers the Organization to take disciplinary and enforcement action. Directs the Organization to assess periodically the reliability and adequacy of the inter-connected bulk-power system in North America, and to report its findings and recommendations annually to FERC and to the Secretary. Provides for the assessment and recovery of implementation and enforcement costs incurred by the Organization and each Affiliated Regional Reliability Entity, respectively. Sets forth antitrust defenses for activities undertaken by the Organization, its members, or members of an affiliated regional reliability entity. Instructs FERC to establish a regional advisory body on the petition of the Governors of at least two-thirds of the States within a region that have more than one- half of their electrical loads served within the region. Restricts such body to the 48 contiguous States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Home Heating Readiness Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to direct the Secretary of Energy (acting through the Administrator of the Energy Information Agency) to submit to Congress a Home Heating Readiness Report on the readiness of the heating oil and propane industries to supply fuel under various weather conditions, including rapid decreases in temperature. Specifies Report contents.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Home Heating Fuel Price Spike Act of 2000 - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) conduct a study to identify reasons for the home heating fuel shortage and its corresponding price surge in the northeast region, (2) propose alternatives to alleviate future shortages; and (3) establish a heating oil reserve in various northeast regions. Permits those reserves to be filled by trading petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for heating oil. Authorizes the President to immediately drawdown heating oil from such reserves to address severe home heating price fluctuations, or at any other time to serve the national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 10 February 2000
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to declare that a severe energy supply interruption is deemed to exist if the President determines that a severe increase in petroleum product prices is likely to cause a major adverse impact upon a State or regional economy, as well as on (as under current law) the national economy.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Home Heating Oil Price Stability Act - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to immediately create a Heating Oil Reserve containing two million barrels of heating oil in leased storage facilities in the New York Harbor area and 4.7 million barrels in one of the four Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) caverns on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Permits the Secretary to fill such Heating Oil Reserve by trading SPR crude oil for heating oil. Authorizes the President to immediately draw down the Heating Oil Reserve when domestic fuel oil prices rise sharply because of anticompetitive activity, during a fuel oil shortage, or during periods of extreme winter weather. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Home Heating Oil Price Stability Act - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to immediately create a fuel oil reserve containing two million barrels of heating oil in leased storage facilities in the New York Harbor area and 4.7 million barrels in one of the four Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) caverns in the Gulf Coast. Permits the Secretary to fill such heating oil reserve by trading SPR crude oil for heating oil. Authorizes the President to immediately draw down the Fuel Oil Product Reserve only when domestic fuel oil prices rise sharply because of anticompetitive activity, during a fuel oil shortage, or during periods of extreme winter weather. Authorizes appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 9 February 2000
Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives commending Michael Horowitz for his actions on February 2, 2000, in working to raise the knowledge of the American public about the conflict in Sudan and the lack of: (1) direct action on the part of the Administration to support those in the south who are fighting against the totalitarian northern regime in Khartoum; (2) involvement by the Administration in acting as an international voice of support for a comprehensive peace process; and (3) action taken by the Administration against companies such as Canada's Talisman Energy, Inc., which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange, and the proposed Initial Public Offer (IPO) of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for their involvement in oil ventures in Sudan, which seek to strengthen the power and financial capability of the Government of Sudan at the detriment of those in the south.
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2000
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Authorization and Improvements Act of 2000 - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to repeal the mandate for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to maintain an office in the District of Columbia for the service of process. (Sec. 4) Restricts the initial duration of a combined construction and operating license to 40 years from the date on which the NRC finds that certain acceptance criteria have been met prior to facility operation. (Sec. 5) Limits to production facilities only the current prohibition against granting either a commercial license or a medical therapy and research and development license to an alien or a corporation or other entity under foreign ownership or domination (thus allowing such licenses for utilization and other kinds of facilities). (Sec. 6) Shields from NRC antitrust scrutiny certain industrial and commercial license applications to construct or operate utilization facilities. (Sec. 7) Confers gift acceptance authority upon the NRC. Establishes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Fund to accept gifts or net proceeds of gift sales. (Sec. 8) Authorizes the NRC to authorize employees of NRC licensees to carry firearms for the protection of licensee property designated of significance to or necessary in the interest of the common defense and security. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the NRC to prescribe and collect cost recovery fees from other Federal agencies. (Sec. 12) Encompasses within NRC police powers: (1) installations subject to its licensing or certification authority; (2) facilities for storage, treatment, or disposal; and (3) facilities for production, utilization, waste storage, treatment and disposal, and uranium enrichment, or nuclear fuel fabrication. (Sec. 14) Directs the NRC to promulgate requirements to ensure that a non-licensee complies fully with any nuclear decommissioning obligation. (Sec. 15) Amends the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 to provide for continuation of service until a successor has taken office of an NRC member whose term of office has expired. (Sec. 16) Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to prohibit commencement of administrative or judicial actions regarding source, special nuclear, or byproduct material that is subject to NRC or State-issued decontamination regulations unless the action is pursuant to NRC or State request. (Sec. 17) Authorizes appropriations for FY2001, including those for the Office of Inspector General of the NRC.
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
See summary of: H.R. 3533
United States · United States Congress · 27 January 2000
Oil Price Safeguard Act - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to deem a severe energy supply to exist if the President determines that: (1) a significant reduction in petroleum supply of significant scope and duration has caused a significance increase in the price of petroleum products which is likely to cause a significant adverse impact upon the national economy; and (2) a substantial cause of such reduction is the anticompetitive conduct of foreign countries or international entities. Mandates that proceeds from petroleum sales drawn down pursuant to the President's determination be deposited in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Account and used exclusively for specified Account purposes. Requires the President to report certain information and analyses to specified congressional committees if crude oil prices exceed $25 per barrel for more than 14 days.