Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act

Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act

This bill addresses energy poverty (i.e., insufficient access to affordable energy) in at-risk communities. An at-risk community is a community that is low-income, minority, rural, elderly, or Native American.

The Department of the Interior must submit to Congress a report that (1) identifies barriers to the ability of at-risk communities that live on or near federal land or tribal land to access reliable and affordable energy, including how the presence of adequate energy transmission infrastructure affects such access; and (2) recommends actions that it and the Forest Service may take to reduce such barriers.

The Congressional Budget Office must report how a bill or resolution will affect the cost of energy for at-risk communities.

The Government Accountability Office must (1) analyze federal energy and environmental laws and regulations, and state renewable portfolio standards, to determine how such laws, regulations, and standards affect electricity prices, home heating prices, gasoline prices, motor vehicle prices, natural gas prices, and household appliance prices in at-risk communities; and (2) develop criteria to determine whether an at-risk community is experiencing energy poverty.

The Office of Management and Budget must review each applicable energy regulation to determine if any regulation imposes, relative to the general population, disproportionate costs on at-risk communities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8487 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8487

    To prevent energy poverty in at-risk communities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2020

  Mr. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma (for himself, Mr. Gosar, Mr. Mullin, Mr. 
 Newhouse, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Balderson, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Weber of Texas, 
 Mr. Allen, Mr. David P. Roe of Tennessee, Mr. Bishop of Utah, and Ms. 
   Cheney) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on 
 Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, the Budget, and Rules, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To prevent energy poverty in at-risk communities, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 Poverty Prevention and 
Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States that--
            (1) all citizens should have equal access to affordable and 
        reliable energy to maintain personal health and economic 
        security;
            (2) the United States should mitigate the disparate impact 
        of increases in the cost of energy on at-risk communities 
        because such communities are more likely to have a fixed income 
        and spend a higher percentage of their income on energy than 
        the general population; and
            (3) to prevent energy poverty and to ensure that each at-
        risk community has access to affordable energy, the United 
        States should ensure that laws relating to environmental and 
        energy policy, including the National Environmental Policy Act 
        of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 
        1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and the Migratory Bird Treaty 
        Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.), do not have the effect of 
        increasing the cost of energy for any at-risk community.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR REPORT ON ACCESS TO RELIABLE AND 
              AFFORDABLE ENERGY.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) identifies barriers to the ability of at-risk 
        communities that live on or near Federal land or Tribal land to 
        access reliable and affordable energy, including how the 
        presence of adequate energy transmission infrastructure affects 
        such access; and
            (2) recommends actions that the Secretary of the Interior 
        and the Chief of the Forest Service could take to reduce the 
        barriers described in paragraph (1), including by--
                    (A) establishing lower fees or lowering other 
                costs;
                    (B) streamlining the approval of rights-of-way on 
                Federal land and Tribal land;
                    (C) encouraging private energy sector investment in 
                Federal land and Tribal land; and
                    (D) rapidly developing electric transmission and 
                delivery systems in remote areas.

SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATES FOR EFFECTS ON ENERGY 
              PRICES.

    The Director of the Congressional Budget Office shall include in 
each applicable estimate required under section 402 of the 
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653) 
an estimate of how the bill or resolution will affect the cost of 
energy for at-risk communities.

SEC. 5. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE IDENTIFICATION OF ENERGY 
              POVERTY.

    (a) Analysis.--
            (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall conduct an analysis of Federal energy and 
        environmental laws, regulations issued by the Secretary of the 
        Interior and the Chief of the Forest Service that relate to 
        energy and environmental policy, and State renewable portfolio 
        standards to determine how such laws, regulations, and 
        standards affect the following prices for at-risk communities 
        during the preceding fiscal year:
                    (A) Electricity prices.
                    (B) Home heating prices.
                    (C) Gasoline prices.
                    (D) Motor vehicle prices.
                    (E) Natural gas prices.
                    (F) Household appliance prices.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the 
        United States shall submit to Congress a report on the analysis 
        conducted under paragraph (1).
    (b) Energy Poverty.--
            (1) In general.--The Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall develop criteria to determine whether an at-risk 
        community is experiencing energy poverty.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Comptroller General of the 
        United States shall submit to Congress a report that--
                    (A) identifies, by location and type of at-risk 
                community, which at-risk communities are experiencing 
                energy poverty; and
                    (B) provides recommendations on how to reduce such 
                energy poverty.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET REVIEW OF ENERGY REGULATIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall review each applicable energy regulation to determine if 
any applicable energy regulation imposes, relative to the general 
population, disproportionate costs on at-risk communities.
    (b) Publication.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget shall publish in the Federal Register the results of the review 
required under subsection (a).

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) At-risk community.--The term ``at-risk community'' 
        means each of the following:
                    (A) A low-income community.
                    (B) A minority community.
                    (C) A rural community.
                    (D) An elderly community.
                    (E) A Native American community.
            (2) Applicable energy regulation.--The term ``applicable 
        energy regulation'' means any Federal regulation that relates 
        to energy and--
                    (A) has an annual effect on the economy of at least 
                $100,000,000;
                    (B) results in a major increase in costs or prices 
                for any consumer, industry, government agency, or 
                geographic region; or
                    (C) has a significant adverse effect on 
                competition, employment, investment, productivity, 
                innovation, or the ability of an enterprise based in 
                the United States to compete with a foreign-based 
                enterprise in a domestic or international market.
            (3) Energy poverty.--The term ``energy poverty'' means 
        insufficient access to affordable energy.
            (4) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means any land 
        that is under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior 
        or the Chief of the Forest Service.
            (5) State renewable portfolio standard.--The term ``State 
        renewable portfolio standard'' means any State regulation that 
        is designed to increase the use of renewable energy sources, 
        including wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, to generate 
        electricity.
            (6) Tribal land.--The term ``Tribal land'' has the meaning 
        given the term ``Indian land'' in section 2601 of the Energy 
        Policy Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3501).
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