Bill Overview
Title: Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act
Description: This bill prohibits any person from selling, during a proclaimed energy emergency, a consumer fuel at a price that (1) is unconscionably excessive, and (2) indicates that the seller is exploiting the emergency to increase prices unreasonably. The President may issue a proclamation of such an emergency that specifies the consumer fuel and geographic area covered and how long the proclamation applies. The bill provides for enforcement of these provisions by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general. Civil penalties collected by the commission through such enforcement must be used to provide assistance under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Additionally, the commission must investigate whether the price of gasoline is being manipulated through reducing refinery capacity or other manipulative practices. The commission also must establish a Transportation Fuel Monitoring and Enforcement Unit to collect, monitor, and analyze crude oil and transportation fuel market data. The bill further includes specified transportation fuels within the prohibitions against (1) manipulative market practices, and (2) reporting false price information. It also increases the penalty for violations of those prohibitions. Finally, the Energy Information Administration must survey energy companies to facilitate transparent and competitive crude oil and transportation fuel markets.
Sponsors: Rep. Schrier, Kim [D-WA-8]
Target Audience
Population: Global consumers of fuel during energy emergencies
Estimated Size: 330000000
- The bill focuses on consumer fuel prices during proclaimed energy emergencies.
- Any individual purchasing consumer fuel during such an emergency stands to benefit from price protections.
- The enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys helps ensure compliance, indirectly affecting all consumers by possibly preventing price gouging.
- The mention of civil penalties being allocated to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program suggests that lower-income individuals could particularly benefit.
- All individuals who use consumer fuel, such as gasoline or heating oil, during an energy emergency are potential targets given the broad scope of the bill.
Reasoning
- The policy primarily targets consumer fuel prices during energy emergencies, offering protection against price gouging.
- Given the widespread use of consumer fuels, all individuals relying on fuel for transportation, heating, or work are potentially impacted.
- The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program funding indicates a focus on supporting low-income individuals, though emergency conditions could imply benefits for all consumers facing higher prices.
- Given the enforcement by state and federal authorities, the policy aims to have a broad yet intermittently active impact based on the frequency and scale of energy emergencies.
Simulated Interviews
single mother (Houston, TX)
Age: 35 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I worry about gas prices every time there's talk of a storm. It feels like they just go up for no reason.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
factory worker (Detroit, MI)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- When the fuel costs spike, it hits my wallet hard since I drive to work every day.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Uber driver (Chicago, IL)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I lose out when gas prices go up because I'm paying more and earning less.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
tech employee (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 29 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I don't directly see it, but I know some colleagues complain when gas gets expensive.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
retired teacher (Tucson, AZ)
Age: 70 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Heating oil prices have jumped in the past and that's tough on us, especially in the winter.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
barista (Seattle, WA)
Age: 25 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 11/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My gas bill for my old car is already too high. If it weren't for that, I'd have more for groceries.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
small business owner (Rural, KY)
Age: 48 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Fuel costs are a big part of my expenses, and spikes make it hard to plan or save.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
real estate agent (New York, NY)
Age: 36 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I notice gas prices but can usually adjust my budget to handle changes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
teacher (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 55 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 16/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If gas prices get too high, I have to cut back on other things, which isn't easy.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 3 |
retired military (Jacksonville, FL)
Age: 64 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The occasional high gas bill is annoying, but mostly just inconvenient for me.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $50000000 (Low: $30000000, High: $80000000)
Year 2: $52000000 (Low: $31000000, High: $83000000)
Year 3: $54080000 (Low: $32030000, High: $86520000)
Year 5: $55750000 (Low: $33090000, High: $89310000)
Year 10: $58980000 (Low: $35030000, High: $94470000)
Year 100: $90000000 (Low: $50000000, High: $140000000)
Key Considerations
- The unpredictability of energy emergencies in terms of frequency and severity makes cost projections uncertain.
- The effectiveness of enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general will heavily influence both costs and savings.
- Civil penalties contribute to the financial offset but require effective implementation and compliance monitoring.