[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3828 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3828

To prohibit the export of liquefied natural gas and petroleum products 
                         to certain countries.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 28, 2024

Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. King, and Mr. Reed) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                    on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit the export of liquefied natural gas and petroleum products 
                         to certain countries.

    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 ``Protecting American Households From 
Rising Energy Costs Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON EXPORTS OF LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM 
              PRODUCTS TO CERTAIN COUNTRIES.

    (a) Prohibitions.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
unless a waiver has been issued under subsection (b), no person or 
entity may export liquefied natural gas or petroleum products--
            (1) to any entity that is under the ownership or control of 
        the Chinese Communist Party, the People's Republic of China, 
        the Russian Federation, the Democratic People's Republic of 
        Korea, or the Islamic Republic of Iran; or
            (2) except on the condition that such liquefied natural gas 
        or petroleum product will not be exported to the People's 
        Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Democratic 
        People's Republic of Korea, or the Islamic Republic of Iran.
    (b) Waiver.--
            (1) In general.--On application by an exporter, the 
        Secretary of Energy may waive, prior to the date of the 
        applicable contract, the prohibitions described in subsection 
        (a) with respect to the sale of liquefied natural gas or 
        petroleum products.
            (2) Requirement.--The Secretary of Energy may issue a 
        waiver under this subsection only if the Secretary of Energy 
        determines that the waiver is in the interest of the national 
        security of the United States.
            (3) Applications.--An exporter seeking a waiver under this 
        subsection shall submit to the Secretary of Energy an 
        application by such date, in such form, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary of Energy may require.
            (4) Notice to congress.--Not later than 15 days after 
        issuing a waiver under this subsection, the Secretary of Energy 
        shall provide a copy of the waiver to the Committee on Energy 
        and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Energy 
        and Commerce of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS.

    (a) Unlawful Acts.--It shall be unlawful for a person to violate, 
attempt to violate, conspire to violate, or cause a violation of any 
prohibition of, or any waiver, license, order, or regulation issued 
pursuant to this Act.
    (b) Civil Penalty.--The Secretary of Energy may impose a civil 
penalty on any person who commits an unlawful act described in 
subsection (a) in an amount not to exceed the greater of--
            (1) $250,000,000; and
            (2) an amount that is twice the amount of the transaction 
        that is the basis of the violation with respect to which the 
        penalty is imposed.
    (c) Criminal Penalty.--A person who knowingly commits, knowingly 
attempts to commit, or knowingly conspires to commit, or aids or abets 
in the commission of, an unlawful act described in subsection (a) shall 
be fined not more than $100,000,000, imprisoned for not more than 20 
years, or both.
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