[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 59 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 59

  To express the sense of Congress that the Federal Energy Regulatory 
  Commission should refrain from further processing of restructuring 
     proceedings pursuant to Order No. 636 until 60 days after the 
submission to Congress of the study of the General Accounting Office of 
the economic impact of the order on residential, commercial, and other 
           end-users of natural gas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                March 9 (legislative day, March 3), 1993

Mr. Wellstone (for himself, Mr. Kohl, and Mr. Sarbanes) introduced the 
 following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
  To express the sense of Congress that the Federal Energy Regulatory 
  Commission should refrain from further processing of restructuring 
     proceedings pursuant to Order No. 636 until 60 days after the 
submission to Congress of the study of the General Accounting Office of 
the economic impact of the order on residential, commercial, and other 
           end-users of natural gas, and for other purposes.

Whereas Congress has declared that a purpose of the Department of Energy is to 
        promote the continued good health of the Nation's small business firms, 
        public utility districts, municipal utilities, and private cooperatives;
Whereas residential and commercial consumers, hospitals, schools, and others 
        that have been identified by Congress as high-priority users of natural 
        gas depend on an affordable and reliable supply of natural gas;
Whereas the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on April 8, 1992, adopted new 
        regulations in Order No. 636;
Whereas Order No. 636 forces significant changes in the structure of the various 
        components of the natural gas industry that will significantly increase 
        the cost of natural gas and have other adverse effects on residential, 
        commercial, and other high-priority users;
Whereas Order No. 636 will make residential, commercial, and other high-priority 
        users pay all fixed costs of the national pipeline system, instead of 
        only their reasonable share;
Whereas residential consumers will not be benefited by the cost increases, but 
        will be forced by the order to pay all transition costs created by the 
        industry restructuring;
Whereas the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has failed to conduct an 
        analysis of the economic impact of Order No. 636 on the various classes 
        of natural gas end-users (including residential and small business 
        users), which economic impact includes higher fixed costs, higher 
        wellhead costs, and new transition costs;
Whereas the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has not conducted an analysis 
        of the economic impact of Order No. 636 on the various geographic 
        regions of the country, and is moving with undue haste to implement 
        Order No. 636; and
Whereas the General Accounting Office has undertaken to conduct a study of the 
        economic impact of Order No. 636 on residential, small commercial, and 
        other high-priority end users, as well as on large industrial customers, 
        and to analyze the economic impact of the order on the various 
        geographic regions of the country and on different types of local gas 
        utilities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That it is the sense of 
Congress that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should refrain 
from further processing of restructuring proceedings pursuant to Order 
No. 636 until 60 days after the submission to Congress of the study of 
the General Accounting Office of the economic impact of the order on 
residential, commercial, and other end-users of natural gas.

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