A bill to authorize appropriations to the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pursuant to section 660 of the Department of Energy Organization Act, and for other purposes; divided and referred as follows: Titles I and II, to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce; title II, to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs; title IV, concurrently to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce; title V, concurrently to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and the Committee on Science and Technology; title VI, concurrently to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and the Committee on Science and Technology; titles VII and VIII, concurrently to the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, the Committee on International Relations, the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce and the Committee on Science and Technology, and title VIII, additionally to the Committee on Armed Services.

Summary

Title I: Energy Use, Application, Conservation, and Regulation - Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulation Commission for fiscal year 1979. Declares that nothing in this title shall be construed to authorize funds for research and development purposes or for the testing or production of atomic weapons or other nuclear weapons activity. Authorizes funds to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for gas regulation functions, hydroelectric regulations functions, and multiresource functions. Authorizes funds to the Economic Regulatory Administration for coal utilization functions, conservation, regulation, emergency preparedness, and policy and management functions. Authorizes funds for the Energy Information Administration. Authorizes funds for specified conservation and solar applications. Authorizes funds for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Plan, multiresource alternative fuels demonstration program, and for policy and management function concerning resource applications. Authorizes funds for environmental overview and assessment functions and consumer affairs and competition. Prohibits the use of any funds appropriated to the Department of Energy for the 1978 fiscal year for the purchase or lease of vehicles for use in vanpooling arrangements unless such use is specifically permitted by statute. Limits the reprogramming of funds. Title II: Amendments to Energy Conservation and Production Act and Certain Other Energy Related Acts - Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to establish an Office of Competition and Consumer Affairs within the Department of Energy. Amends the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act of 1974 to extend to December 31, 1979, the authority to issue orders and rules as specified under this Act. Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to permit the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to exercise certain functions without the express assignment of such functions to the Commission by the Department of Energy. Limits the authority of the chairman of the Commission to make appointments of hearing examiners. Title III: Power Marketing Administration; Resource Development - Authorizes the appropriation of funds to implement the authority over specified programs transferred to the Department of Energy concerning flood control, naval petroleum reserves, and other programs. Authorizes the appropriation of funds for the Alaska Power Administration. Authorizes funds for the Western Area Power Administration to be used for electric power transmission and marketing, unusual or emergency conditions, and the Upper Colorado River Storage project. Authorizes funds for the Southwestern Power Administration and the Southeastern Power Administration. Authorizes funds to the Department of Energy for resource development and management of naval petroleum and oil shale reserves. Delineates specified procedures for the reprogramming of funds. Title IV: Uranium Management and Use of Nuclear Energy - Authorizes funds for specified programs concerning uranium management and the use of nuclear energy. Delineates specified procedures for the reprogramming of funds. Title V: Charge for Uranium Enrichment Services - Amends the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to specify that the prices charged by the government for uranium enrichment services shall assure the recovery of the government's costs over a reasonable time. Requires further that prices shall result in revenues sufficient to cover normal business expenses, taxes and return on equity which would otherwise be reflected in prices charged by a private operator providing similar services. Provides for congressional review of pricing schedules before implementation. Title VI: Amendments to Title V of the National Energy Extension Service Act - Amends the National Energy Extension Service Act to delete the proviso requiring no matching State or local funds for the development of guidelines for extending service. Deletes from the formula used to compute the allocations for individual States, the requirement that the latest decennial census be used. Requires matching State or local funds for the implementation of the energy extension services contemplated by this Act. Title VII: Program Direction - Authorizes the appropriation of funds for specified administrative management and support functions of the Department of Energy. Title VIII: General Provisions - Permits the Secretary of Energy, pursuant to specified Acts, to authorize the expenditure of funds for facilities or equipment to be located outside the installations of the Department of Energy. Prohibits the use of funds authorized under this Act where the costs of the program exceed 120 percent of the program authorization or the costs exceed by more than $5,000,000 the amount authorized by this Act, whichever is the lesser. Prohibits the use of funds authorized by this Act for programs which have not been presented to, or requested of Congress unless 30 calendar days have elapsed since the Secretary of Energy has presented to all the appropriate Congressional committees a full and complete statement of the action proposed. Allows the written waiver of this requirement where such waiver is signed by each appropriate committee of Congress. Prohibits the start of construction projects whose costs exceed by more than 25 percent the estimated cost of the project waives this requirement concerning construction projects having an estimated cost of less than $5,000,000. Authorizes the start of general plant projects only under specified circumstances. Allows the Secretary to expend funds authorized for construction design services where such funds are included in a bill before Congress and the Secretary determines that the projects urgently need for national defense, public safety, or other specified purposes. Permits the Department of Energy to retain any moneys received from uranium enrichment and other reimbursable programs except for sums received from the disposal of property pursuant to the Atomic Energy Community Act of 1955, or the Strategic and Critical Materials Stockpiling Act, or with respect to fees received for tests or investigations under the Act of May 16, 1910, as amended. Limits the authority, under this Act, to enter into contracts obligating the United States to those outlays that are provided for in advance in appropriation acts.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 8 March 1978

   Introduced

   Referred to House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 8 March 1978

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 8 March 1978

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 15 May 1978

   Reported

   Reported to House from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs with amendment, H. Rept. 95-1166 (Part I).

   Source: Committee

5. 15 May 1978

   Reported

   Reported to House from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs with amendment, H. Rept. 95-1166 (Part I).

   Source: Committee

6. 19 May 1978

   Reported

   Reported to House from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce with amendment, H. Rept. 95-1166 (Pt.II).

   Source: Committee

7. 19 May 1978

   Reported

   Reported to House from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce with amendment, H. Rept. 95-1166 (Pt.II).

   Source: Committee

8. 9 June 1978

   Reported

   Reported to House from the Committee on Science and Technology, H. Rept. 95-1166 (Part III).

   Source: Committee

9. 9 June 1978

   Reported

   Reported to House from the Committee on Science and Technology, H. Rept. 95-1166 (Part III).

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

2 official files

• Reported to House with amendment(s)

  summary · EN · 19 May 1978

  Open at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 8 March 1978

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Staggers, Harley O. [D-WV-2] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Udall, Morris K. [D-AZ-2] · D · Cosponsor
• · hssy00 · Standing
• · hsif00 · Standing
• · hsii00 · Standing
• · hsas00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → A resolution providing for the consideration of H.R. 11392, a bill to authorize appropriations to the Department of Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pursuant to section 660 of the Department of Energy Organization Act, and for other purposes.