<enum>I</enum><header>Amendment to Sherman Act</header> <section id="HC44B966A2AA74112A3E0A1F3A591F347"><enum>101.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title may be cited as the <quote><short-title>No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2008</short-title></quote> or <quote><short-title>NOPEC</short-title></quote>.</text> </section> <section display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HCED090129AE946FEB1D0E7A412930024"><enum>102.</enum><header>Sherman Act</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Sherman Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/15/1">15 U.S.C. 1 et seq.</external-xref>) is amended by adding after section 7 the following:</text> <quoted-block id="HB5E871219486456097E0C6BF0066FA82" style="traditional"> <section id="HAC22C4E6E9794E419BA4C47F1F64DB53"><enum>7A.</enum> <subsection commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="HD2FFCF945C0D4133BE78996B4C67024B"><enum>(a)</enum><text>It shall be illegal and a violation of this Act for any foreign state, or any instrumentality or agent of any foreign state, to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state, any instrumentality or agent of any other foreign state, or any other person, whether by cartel or any other association or form of cooperation or joint action—</text> <paragraph id="H2F1E4AA6231F418F909422E86CA7D810"><enum>(1)</enum><text>to limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product;</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H72BB0C7DBF7944D9A75BF1F51DCFCF59"><enum>(2)</enum><text>to set or maintain the price of oil, natural gas, or any petroleum product; or</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H56AC55B646E74B57A6E2A19C65447739"><enum>(3)</enum><text>to otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for oil, natural gas, or any petroleum product;</text> </paragraph><continuation-text continuation-text-level="subsection">when such action, combination, or collective action has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect on the market, supply, price, or distribution of oil, natural gas, or other petroleum product in the United States.</continuation-text></subsection> <subsection id="H77C5E987813E49849E0042B3900083C8"><enum>(b)</enum><text>A foreign state engaged in conduct in violation of subsection (a) shall not be immune under the doctrine of sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction or judgments of the courts of the United States in any action brought to enforce this section.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H50BC5C9DE1984A3AA2E65114E16600ED"><enum>(c)</enum><text>No court of the United States shall decline, based on the act of state doctrine, to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this section.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H808D8514C8D847BF9553D156AE15A950"><enum>(d)</enum><text>The Attorney General of the United States may bring an action to enforce this section in any district court of the United States as provided under the antitrust laws.</text> </subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block> </section> <section display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H9705F67B40B545198788694482BAE96B"><enum>103.</enum><header>Sovereign immunity</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/28/1605">Section 1605(a)</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended—</text> <paragraph id="H951CB05076EA489A00C5B6427BA1F4A7"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in paragraph (6) by striking <quote>or</quote> after the semicolon;</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H53C76B8E7B1B42B186D59D26B9C2BA38"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in paragraph (7) by striking the period and inserting <quote>; or</quote>; and</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H7E6AE6F669574494B97336542307CB2C"><enum>(3)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text> <quoted-block id="HEDBBDD0EA9EE46E38811A3481EBD46BC" style="OLC"> <paragraph id="H4FC042698F8F45D4856D2ED8DDD03E98"><enum>(8)</enum><text>in which the action is brought under section 7A of the Sherman Act.</text> </paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block> </paragraph></section>

110 HR 6074 EH: No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2008 U.S. House of Representatives 0 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the

Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008

<enum>I</enum><header>Amendment to Sherman Act</header> <section id="HC44B966A2AA74112A3E0A1F3A591F347"><enum>101.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title may be cited as the <quote><short-title>No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2008</short-title></quote> or <quote><short-title>NOPEC</short-title></quote>.</text> </section> <section display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HCED090129AE946FEB1D0E7A412930024"><enum>102.</enum><header>Sherman Act</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Sherman Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/15/1">15 U.S.C. 1 et seq.</external-xref>) is amended by adding after section 7 the following:</text> <quoted-block id="HB5E871219486456097E0C6BF0066FA82" style="traditional"> <section id="HAC22C4E6E9794E419BA4C47F1F64DB53"><enum>7A.</enum> <subsection commented="no" display-inline="yes-display-inline" id="HD2FFCF945C0D4133BE78996B4C67024B"><enum>(a)</enum><text>It shall be illegal and a violation of this Act for any foreign state, or any instrumentality or agent of any foreign state, to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state, any instrumentality or agent of any other foreign state, or any other person, whether by cartel or any other association or form of cooperation or joint action—</text> <paragraph id="H2F1E4AA6231F418F909422E86CA7D810"><enum>(1)</enum><text>to limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product;</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H72BB0C7DBF7944D9A75BF1F51DCFCF59"><enum>(2)</enum><text>to set or maintain the price of oil, natural gas, or any petroleum product; or</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H56AC55B646E74B57A6E2A19C65447739"><enum>(3)</enum><text>to otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for oil, natural gas, or any petroleum product;</text> </paragraph><continuation-text continuation-text-level="subsection">when such action, combination, or collective action has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect on the market, supply, price, or distribution of oil, natural gas, or other petroleum product in the United States.</continuation-text></subsection> <subsection id="H77C5E987813E49849E0042B3900083C8"><enum>(b)</enum><text>A foreign state engaged in conduct in violation of subsection (a) shall not be immune under the doctrine of sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction or judgments of the courts of the United States in any action brought to enforce this section.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H50BC5C9DE1984A3AA2E65114E16600ED"><enum>(c)</enum><text>No court of the United States shall decline, based on the act of state doctrine, to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this section.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H808D8514C8D847BF9553D156AE15A950"><enum>(d)</enum><text>The Attorney General of the United States may bring an action to enforce this section in any district court of the United States as provided under the antitrust laws.</text> </subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block> </section> <section display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H9705F67B40B545198788694482BAE96B"><enum>103.</enum><header>Sovereign immunity</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/28/1605">Section 1605(a)</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended—</text> <paragraph id="H951CB05076EA489A00C5B6427BA1F4A7"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in paragraph (6) by striking <quote>or</quote> after the semicolon;</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H53C76B8E7B1B42B186D59D26B9C2BA38"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in paragraph (7) by striking the period and inserting <quote>; or</quote>; and</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H7E6AE6F669574494B97336542307CB2C"><enum>(3)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text> <quoted-block id="HEDBBDD0EA9EE46E38811A3481EBD46BC" style="OLC"> <paragraph id="H4FC042698F8F45D4856D2ED8DDD03E98"><enum>(8)</enum><text>in which the action is brought under section 7A of the Sherman Act.</text> </paragraph><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block> </paragraph></section> <enum>II</enum><header>Creation of Department of Justice Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force</header> <section id="H6583967D377B4CE6B1A6189F9276EA59"><enum>201.</enum><header>Establishment of Department of Justice petroleum industry antitrust Task Force</header> <subsection id="H6C6B506403EE41BBAC3BDA02AF9154F"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Establishment of Task Force</header><text>The Attorney General shall establish in the Department of Justice a Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force (in this title referred to as the <quote>Task Force</quote>).</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H279D4B9FBD274DBC9EA06B23DB00724E"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Responsibilities of Task Force</header><text>The Task Force shall have the responsibility for—</text> <paragraph id="H28AF74C7DBAD4610A1AB35896CC1C8A2"><enum>(1)</enum><text>developing, coordinating, and facilitating the implementation of the investigative and enforcement policies of the Department of Justice related to petroleum industry antitrust issues under Federal law,</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H83C433F4AE994838B262FDC9D8FDA2"><enum>(2)</enum><text>consulting with, and requesting assistance from, other Federal entities as may be appropriate, and</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H1C0F79D87AD8465CA0613BF62E7E3F6B"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">preparing and submitting to the Congress an annual report that—</text> <subparagraph id="H7BA131967EC04E65ACB29273101C32BB"><enum>(A)</enum><text>describes all investigatory and enforcement efforts of the Department of Justice related to petroleum industry antitrust issues, and</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HA7CBD46A4FED4397AEDCF63E6D8708C3"><enum>(B)</enum><text>addresses the issues described in subsection (c).</text> </subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="HA1D0383A52C14653A300F9055EA6AA18"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Issues To be Examined by Task Force</header><text>The Task Force shall examine all issues related to the application of Federal antitrust laws to the market for petroleum and petroleum products, including the following:</text> <paragraph id="HE2043837C1D9406EACA1813B241DA4BA"><enum>(1)</enum><text>The existence and effects of any price gouging in sales of gasoline.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H8A3278785B914B98A9E2106100EBC7D7"><enum>(2)</enum><text>The existence and effects of any international oil cartels.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="HA800DA01EC024C51BA93D66DDE4FE313"><enum>(3)</enum><text>The existence and effects of any collusive behavior in controlling or restricting petroleum refinery capacity.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H22757225950B4C91B27F249B3FC91430"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The existence and effects of any anticompetitive price discrimination by petroleum refiners or other wholesalers of gasoline to retail sellers of gasoline.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H6C5F4474F977423D94309CE1C394DE7"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The existence and effects of any unilateral actions, by refiners or other wholesalers of petroleum products, in the nature of withholding supply or otherwise refusing to sell petroleum products in order to inflate the price of such products above competitive levels.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H83295DB8F4934FC4005D331288427F7E"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The existence and effects of any anticompetitive manipulation in futures markets or other trading exchanges relating to petroleum or petroleum products.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H8759515304B04D9089B5FF15C998F2AA"><enum>(7)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The existence and effects of any other anticompetitive market manipulation activities involving petroleum or petroleum products.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H70D40F93809E42DCB052BEC0051FF983"><enum>(8)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Any other anticompetitive behavior that impacts the price or supply of petroleum or petroleum products.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="HAB25595EADF24D9BB9B0A791BE8ECE8"><enum>(9)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The advisability of revising the merger guidelines to appropriately take into account particular aspects of the petroleum and petroleum products marketplace.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph id="HDB66038369A942A3891198CB6662E672"><enum>(10)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The advisability of amending the antitrust laws in light of any competitive problems in the petroleum and petroleum products marketplace described in paragraphs (1)–(8) that cannot currently be effectively addressed under such laws.</text> </paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H83E6BD406D6D42258976EED5D0001B72"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Director of Task Force</header><text>The Attorney General shall appoint a director to head the Task Force.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="HC78129EB4B5D46738DE000FBDDE12099"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Initial Report</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The 1st report required by subsection (b)(2) shall be submitted to the Congress not later than December 31, 2008.</text> </subsection></section> <enum>III</enum><header>Study by the Government Accountability Office</header> <section id="HEABED3D9964B4D539BAC07207F2EBC00"><enum>301.</enum><header>Study by the Government Accountability Office</header> <subsection id="HDACCF110E06A42F798D8C590002FC816"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Study</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study evaluating the effects of mergers addressed in covered merger consent decrees on competition in the markets involved, including the effectiveness of divestitures required under those consent decrees in preserving competition in those markets.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="HC9EDAB8005224A2D88B2A340215E8FA6"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Report</header><text>Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to Congress and the Department of Justice regarding the findings of the study conducted under subsection (b).</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H4A1C6F7F89684CD3B1C9F7959DFB95EF"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Attorney general consideration</header><text>Upon receipt of the report described in subsection (b), the Attorney General shall refer the report to the Task Force established under section 201, which shall consider whether any further enforcement action is warranted to protect or restore competition in any market affected by a transaction to which any covered merger consent decree relates.</text> </subsection> <subsection id="H544D97EB8204445488610079ED74B800"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Definition</header><text>In this section, the term <quote>covered merger consent decree</quote> means a consent decree entered in the 10-year period ending on the date of the enactment of this Act, in an enforcement action brought under section 7 of the Clayton Act against a person engaged in the business of exploring for, producing, refining, processing, storing, distributing, or marketing petroleum or petroleum products.</text> </subsection></section>

Passed the House of Representatives May 20, 2008.

Lorraine C. Miller,Clerk.