About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

H.R. 271, Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2013 1 (May 17, 2013)

handle is hein.congrec/cbo11100 and id is 1 raw text is: CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE May 17, 2013 H.R. 271 Resolving Environmental and Grid Reliability Conflicts Act of 2013 As ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on May 15, 2012 CBO estimates that H.R. 271 would have no significant impact on the federal budget. The bill would amend existing law regarding actions taken by electric utilities when the Department of Energy (DOE) determines that the electric power system is experiencing emergency conditions. Under current law, during a designated emergency, DOE can require firms to produce or supply electricity to avoid or resolve blackouts or other risks to the electric power system. If those actions violate other regulatory requirements, such as air pollution limits, the affected firms may be liable for penalties under those laws. H.R. 271 would revise this framework by establishing new procedures for ensuring compliance with environmental standards during designated emergencies. The bill also would exempt firms from certain civil and criminal liability if the actions taken to comply with DOE's emergency orders violate environmental or other regulatory standards. Pay-as-you go procedures apply to this legislation because it could affect revenues and direct spending. CBO estimates, however, that the impact on the federal budget would be insignificant over the 2013-2023 period. According to DOE, it has issued emergency orders to electric utilities six times since 1978, and none of those transactions resulted in the payment of penalties. Based on that historical experience, CBO estimates that revenues from such penalties would not be significant over the next 10 years under current law; as a result, CBO estimates that reducing firms' liability for such penalties would not result in any significant loss of federal revenues. Similarly, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 271 would have no significant net effect on direct spending by the federal power agencies (such as the Tennessee Valley Authority) that could be liable for such penalties. Finally, we estimate that implementing the bill would have no significant effect on spending subject to appropriation. The bill would impose an intergovernmental mandate as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) by preempting state and local environmental and liability laws. Energy facilities would be exempt from complying with such laws if those laws conflict with an emergency order issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to provide temporary connections of public facilities for electrical transmission.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most