[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5191 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5191

  To provide for the convening of a White House Conference on United 
       States Energy Policy to develop a national energy policy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 14, 2000

 Mr. Weygand introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for the convening of a White House Conference on United 
       States Energy Policy to develop a national energy policy.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``White House Conference on United 
States Energy Policy Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. CONFERENCE.

    (a) Authorization.--The President shall convene a White House 
Conference on United States Energy Policy in order to develop a 
national energy policy for the United States. Such Conference shall 
take place within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (b) Planning and Direction.--The Conference shall be planned and 
conducted under the direction of the Secretary and the Administrator, 
in cooperation with the heads of such other Federal agencies as are 
appropriate.
    (c) Purpose.--The primary purpose of the Conference shall be to 
develop and recommend a national energy policy for the United States. 
As part of that effort, the Conference shall--
            (1) examine the need for, and make recommendations for 
        strategies for promoting, energy conservation;
            (2) make recommendations for how best to promote the 
        development of sources of energy other than fossil fuels, 
        including defining the appropriate Federal role in such 
        development;
            (3) assess the appropriate role of fossil fuels in United 
        States energy policy, including an assessment of the efficiency 
        and environmental effects of the use of fossil fuels;
            (4) examine the effects on energy supply and pricing of 
        regulation, anticompetitive factors, inventory taxes, and 
        ongoing mergers of energy companies; and
            (5) identify crucial issues in the development of a 
        national energy policy.
    (d) Participants.--The President shall invite to the Conference 
appropriate representatives of--
            (1) Federal, State, and local government policymakers;
            (2) industry, including producers, manufacturers, and 
        wholesale and retail providers of energy and energy products, 
        and including alternative energy producers, manufacturers, and 
        providers;
            (3) consumers;
            (4) scientists;
            (5) environmentalists;
            (6) regulators; and
            (7) any other group the President considers appropriate.
The President shall invite participants without regard to political 
affiliation or past partisan activity, and shall ensure that 
participation in the Conference is representative of a broad spectrum 
of expertise and opinions.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION.

    In administering the Conference, the Secretary and the 
Administrator shall--
            (1) request the cooperation and assistance of the heads of 
        such other Federal agencies as may be appropriate;
            (2) prepare and make available in the Federal Register for 
        public comment a proposed agenda for the Conference not later 
        than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act;
            (3) provide promptly any relevant information requested by 
        the participants of the Conference; and
            (4) ensure that the recommendations of the Conference are 
        not inappropriately influenced by any authority or special 
        interest.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    Not later than 90 days after the close of the Conference, the 
Secretary and the Administrator shall transmit to the Congress a report 
containing the findings and recommendations of the Conference, 
including recommendations for administrative actions and legislation 
necessary to implement the recommendations of the Conference.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
        the Environmental Protection Agency;
            (2) the term ``Conference'' means the White House 
        Conference on United States Energy Policy; and
            (3) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Energy.
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