[House Report 109-536]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




109th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session                                                     109-536

======================================================================



 
                     FUEL CONSUMPTION EDUCATION ACT

                                _______
                                

 June 28, 2006.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Mr. Barton of Texas, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 5611]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

  The Committee on Energy and Commerce, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 5611) to provide for the establishment of a 
partnership between the Secretary of Energy and appropriate 
industry groups for the creation of a transportation fuel 
conservation education campaign, and for other purposes, having 
considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment 
and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Amendment........................................................     1
Purpose and Summary..............................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Hearings.........................................................     3
Committee Consideration..........................................     3
Committee Votes..................................................     3
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     3
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     3
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures     3
Committee Cost Estimate..........................................     3
Congressional Budget Office Estimate.............................     4
Federal Mandates Statement.......................................     5
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................     5
Constitutional Authority Statement...............................     5
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................     5
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation...................     5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     6

                               AMENDMENT

  The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited at the ``Fuel Consumption Education Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

  The Congress finds that--
          (1) today's gasoline prices are taking a severe toll on the 
        pocketbooks of all Americans and are nearing a level of 
        national emergency;
          (2) a large number of factors contribute to the price of 
        gasoline, including worldwide demand for crude oil, taxes, 
        international conflicts, regional supply chains, environmental 
        regulations, and refining capacity;
          (3) individuals can take steps to address rising demand by 
        using a few simple gas saving tips; and
          (4) increased driving efficiency will lower the demand for 
        gasoline and thereby lower prices in the short term.

SEC. 3. PARTNERSHIP.

  (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy shall enter into a 
partnership with interested industry groups, including groups from the 
automotive, gasoline refining, and oil industries, to create a public 
education campaign that provides information to United States drivers 
about immediate measures that may be taken to conserve transportation 
fuel. This public-private partnership shall include a five member 
advisory board, to be chaired by the Secretary or his designee, which 
shall include representatives from the Department of Energy, the oil 
industry, the automotive industry, and the Congress, to be appointed by 
the Secretary. The Secretary shall appoint the advisory board not later 
than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
  (b) Accessibility.--The public information campaign under this 
section shall be targeted to reach the widest audience possible. The 
education campaign shall include television, print, Internet website, 
or any other method designed to maximize the dissemination of 
transportation fuel savings information to drivers.
  (c) Cost Sharing.--The Secretary shall provide no more than 50 
percent of the cost of the campaign created under this section.
  (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for carrying out this 
section.

SEC. 4. PARTNERSHIP ON FUEL SUPPLY FOR EVACUATIONS.

  (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Energy shall enter into a 
partnership with interested industry groups and State and local 
governments, including groups from the gasoline refining and marketing 
industries, to create an education campaign that provides information 
to the State and local governments and the private sector about best 
practices to ensure adequate fuel supplies during emergency 
evacuations. This public-private partnership shall include a five 
member advisory board, to be chaired by the Secretary or his designee, 
which shall include representatives from the Department of Energy, the 
gasoline refining industry, the gasoline marketing industry, a State 
government, and a unit of local government. The Secretary shall appoint 
the advisory board not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act.
  (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $3,000,000 for carrying out this section.

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    The purpose of H.R. 5611, the ``Fuel Consumption Education 
Act,'' is to provide for the establishment of a partnership 
between the Secretary of Energy and appropriate industry groups 
for the creation of a transportation fuel conservation 
education campaign, and for other purposes.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    Demand for oil in the U.S., as well as worldwide, continues 
to grow. Currently the United States consumes approximately 10 
million barrels of oil per day, most of which fuels the 
transportation sector.
    While annual growth in oil demand in the U.S., and in many 
developed countries, is between 1 and 2 percent, in many 
developing countries--such as Africa, the Middle East, and 
Latin America--total demand is growing at an even faster pace, 
averaging around 3 percent per year. In China alone, demand 
growth in 2004 was nearly 16 percent. The Energy Information 
Administration projects that global oil demand will increase by 
about 46 percent in the next 20 years, reaching 120 million 
barrels a day by 2025.
    While the United States cannot control demand for oil 
worldwide, U.S. citizens can help affect the dependence of the 
U.S. on foreign sources of oil by changing their driving 
habits. While there is no easy or immediate solution to the 
Nation's dependence on oil, Americans can take steps every day 
to conserve fuel. H.R. 5611, the ``Fuel Consumption Education 
Act,'' is designed to educate consumers about those 
conservation options.

                                HEARINGS

    The Committee on Energy and Commerce has not held hearings 
on the legislation.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    On Tuesday, June 20, 2006, the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce met in markup session and ordered H.R. 5611 reported 
to the House, amended, by a voice vote, a quorum being present.

                            COMMITTEE VOTES

    There were no record votes taken in connection with 
ordering H.R. 5611 reported. A motion by Mr. Barton to order 
H.R. 5611 reported to the House, amended, was agreed to by a 
voice vote.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee has not held oversight 
or legislative hearings on this legislation.

         STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    The goal of H.R. 5611, the ``Fuel Consumption Education 
Act,'' is to provide for the establishment of a partnership 
between the Secretary of Energy and appropriate industry groups 
for the creation of a transportation fuel conservation 
education campaign, and for other purposes.

   NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H.R. 
5611, the ``Fuel Consumption Education Act,'' would result in 
no new or increased budget authority, entitlement authority, or 
tax expenditures or revenues.

                        COMMITTEE COST ESTIMATE

    The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared 
by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                  CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the following is the cost estimate 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 
402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974:

                                                     June 22, 2006.
Hon. Joe Barton,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5611, the Fuel 
Consumption Education Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan 
Carroll.
            Sincerely,
                                          Donald B. Marron,
                                                   Acting Director.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 5611--Fuel Consumption Education Act

    Summary: H.R. 5611 would authorize the appropriation of $13 
million for the Secretary of Energy to enter into partnerships 
with nonfederal parties to educate the public on ways to 
conserve gasoline and ensure adequate supplies of fuel during 
emergency evacuations. Assuming appropriation of the specified 
amounts, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5611 would cost 
$4 million in 2007 and $13 million over the 2007-2011 period. 
Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues.
    H.R. 5611 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    Estimated cost to the Federal Government: For this 
estimate, CBO assumes that H.R. 5611 will be enacted near the 
start of fiscal year 2007 and that the amounts specified in the 
bill will be appropriated for that year. Estimates of outlays 
are based on historical spending patterns for similar programs. 
The estimated budgetary impact of H.R. 5611 is shown in the 
following table. The costs of this legislation fall within 
budget function 270 (energy).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      By fiscal year, in millions of
                                                 dollars--
                                 ---------------------------------------
                                   2007    2008    2009    2010    2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION

Authorization level.............      13       0       0       0       0
Estimated outlays...............       4       8       1       0       0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: H.R. 5611 
contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as 
defined in UMRA and would not affect the budgets of state, 
local, or tribal governments.
    Estimate prepared by: Federal Costs: Megan Carroll; Impact 
on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: Lisa Ramirez-Branum; 
Impact on the Private Sector: Craig Cammarata.
    Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant 
Director for Budget Analysis.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this 
legislation.

                   CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

    Pursuant to clause 3(d)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that the 
Constitutional authority for this legislation is provided in 
Article I, section 8, clause 3, which grants Congress the power 
to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among the several 
States, and with the Indian tribes.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.

             SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title

    Section 1 establishes the short title as the ``Fuel 
Consumption Education Act.''

Section 2. Findings

    Section 2 contains findings for the legislation.

Section 3. Partnership

    Section 3(a) establishes a partnership between the 
Secretary of Energy (the Secretary) and interested industry 
groups, including groups from the automotive, gasoline 
refining, and oil industries to create a public education 
campaign that provides information to United States drivers 
about immediate measures that may be taken to conserve 
transportation fuel. Nothing in this bill prohibits 
participation by other interested groups. The partnership shall 
include a five-member advisory board to be chaired by the 
Secretary, and shall include representatives from the 
Department of Energy, the oil industry, the automotive 
industry, and the Congress. The Secretary shall appoint the 
members of the board not later than 30 days after the date of 
enactment.
    Section 3(b) requires the public information campaign to be 
targeted to reach the widest audience possible and shall 
include television, print, Internet websites, or any other 
method of maximizing the dissemination of information.
    Section 3(c) requires the Secretary not to provide more 
than 50 percent of the cost of the education campaign.
    Section 3(d) authorizes the appropriation of $10,000,000 to 
the Secretary to carry out this section. The funds in this bill 
are to be used to create a new fuel economy education campaign. 
It is not the intent of the Committee that any of these funds 
be used for the commercial benefit of any one company or any 
one industry.

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    This legislation does not amend any existing Federal 
statute.

                                  
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