[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1582 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1582

     To protect consumers by prohibiting the Administrator of the 
  Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating as final certain 
 energy-related rules that are estimated to cost more than $1 billion 
       and will cause significant adverse effects to the economy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 16, 2013

 Mr. Cassidy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To protect consumers by prohibiting the Administrator of the 
  Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating as final certain 
 energy-related rules that are estimated to cost more than $1 billion 
       and will cause significant adverse effects to the economy.

    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 ``Energy Consumers Relief Act of 
2013''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION AGAINST FINALIZING CERTAIN ENERGY-RELATED RULES 
              THAT WILL CAUSE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS TO THE 
              ECONOMY.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency may not promulgate as final an 
energy-related rule that is estimated to cost more than $1 billion if 
the Secretary of Energy determines under section 3(3) that, with 
respect to the rule, significant adverse effects to the economy will be 
caused.

SEC. 3. REPORTS AND DETERMINATIONS PRIOR TO PROMULGATING AS FINAL 
              CERTAIN ENERGY-RELATED RULES.

    Before promulgating as final any energy-related rule that is 
estimated to cost more than $1 billion:
            (1) Report to congress.--The Administrator of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency shall submit to Congress a 
        report containing--
                    (A) a copy of the rule;
                    (B) a concise general statement relating to the 
                rule;
                    (C) an estimate of the total costs of the rule, 
                including the direct costs and indirect costs of the 
                rule;
                    (D) an estimate of the increases in energy prices, 
                including potential increases in gasoline or 
                electricity prices for consumers, that may result from 
                implementation or enforcement of the rule; and
                    (E) a detailed description of the employment 
                effects, including potential job losses and shifts in 
                employment, that may result from implementation or 
                enforcement of the rule.
            (2) Initial determination on increases and impacts.--The 
        Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Federal Energy 
        Regulatory Commission and the Administrator of the Energy 
        Information Administration, shall prepare an independent 
        analysis to determine whether the rule will cause--
                    (A) any increase in energy prices for consumers, 
                including low-income households, small businesses, and 
                manufacturers;
                    (B) any impact on fuel diversity of the Nation's 
                electricity generation portfolio or on national, 
                regional, or local electric reliability; or
                    (C) any other adverse effect on energy supply, 
                distribution, or use (including a shortfall in supply 
                and increased use of foreign supplies).
            (3) Subsequent determination on adverse effects to the 
        economy.--If the Secretary of Energy determines, under 
        paragraph (2), that the rule will cause an increase, impact, or 
        effect described in such paragraph, then the Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of 
        Labor, and the Administrator of the Small Business 
        Administration, shall--
                    (A) determine whether such increase, impact, or 
                effect will cause significant adverse effects to the 
                economy, taking into consideration impacts on economic 
                indicators, including those related to gross domestic 
                product, unemployment, wages, consumer prices, and 
                business and manufacturing activity; and
                    (B) publish the results of such determination in 
                the Federal Register.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The terms ``direct costs'' and ``indirect costs'' have 
        the meanings given such terms in chapter 8 of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency's ``Guidelines for Preparing Economic 
        Analyses'' dated December 17, 2010.
            (2) The term ``energy-related rule that is estimated to 
        cost more than $1 billion'' means a rule of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency that--
                    (A) regulates any aspect of the production, supply, 
                distribution, or use of energy or provides for such 
                regulation by States or other governmental entities; 
                and
                    (B) is estimated by the Administrator of the 
                Environmental Protection Agency or the Director of the 
                Office of Management and Budget to impose direct costs 
                and indirect costs, in the aggregate, of more than 
                $1,000,000,000.
            (3) The term ``rule'' has the meaning given to such term in 
        section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
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