To prohibit natural gas price gouging after a disaster, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill requires prohibition on unconscionable pricing of natural gas during a major disaster declaration For the duration of a major disaster declared under section 401 of the Robert T, requires enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission A violation of section 2 shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal, and requires criminal penalties In addition to any penalty applicable under section 3, any utility company that violates section 2 shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, in an amount not to exceed $500,000,000. It relies on compliance mandates, appropriations, product standards, and liability protections. The main policy areas are Criminal Justice, Energy, Natural Gas, and Environment.
Who Benefits and How
Natural gas companies and customers affected by the bill could face reduced risk and Disaster response agencies and disaster-affected communities could face reduced risk.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal, state, or local agencies responsible for implementing the clause would take on compliance duties, Natural gas companies and customers affected by the bill would take on compliance duties, and Disaster response agencies and disaster-affected communities would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Requires prohibition on unconscionable pricing of natural gas during a major disaster declaration For the duration of a major disaster declared under section 401 of the Robert T.
- Requires enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission A violation of section 2 shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal...
- Requires criminal penalties In addition to any penalty applicable under section 3, any utility company that violates section 2 shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, in an amount not to exceed $500,000,000.
- Provides enforcement at retail level by State attorneys general An attorney general of a State, as parens patriae, may bring a civil action on behalf of its residents in an appropriate district court of the United...
- Defines definitions In this Act: The term natural gas has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill requires prohibition on unconscionable pricing of natural gas during a major disaster declaration For the duration of a major disaster declared under section 401 of the Robert T, requires enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission A violation of section 2 shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal, and requires criminal penalties In addition to any penalty applicable under section 3, any utility company that violates section 2 shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, in an amount not to exceed $500,000,000.
Key Policy Areas
Criminal Justice, Energy, Natural Gas, Environment
Primary Purpose
The bill requires prohibition on unconscionable pricing of natural gas during a major disaster declaration For the duration of a major disaster declared under section 401 of the Robert T, requires enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission A violation of section 2 shall be treated as a violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal, and requires criminal penalties In addition to any penalty applicable under section 3, any utility company that violates section 2 shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, in an amount not to exceed $500,000,000.
Policy Domains
Whole bill
Identified Gains
- Natural gas companies and customers affected by the bill
- Disaster response agencies and disaster-affected communities
Identified Costs
- Federal, state, or local agencies responsible for implementing the clause
- Natural gas companies and customers affected by the bill
- Disaster response agencies and disaster-affected communities
- Law enforcement, justice-system actors, and affected communities
- Energy producers and energy supply-chain firms affected by the bill
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Harder of California introduced the following bill; which was …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Law enforcement, justice-system actors, and affected communities
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology