Energy Information Act

Energy Information Act - Expresses the findings of Congress and the purposes of this Act. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this Act. Title I: Bureau of Energy Information - Establishes as an agency within the Department of Commerce a Bureau of Energy Information to be a main line component of the Social and Economic Statistics Administration, coequal with the Bureau of the Census. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to perform the duties conferred upon the Bureau by this title or delegate any of them. Provides that the Bureau shall be headed by a Director of Energy Information to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. States that the principal function of the Bureau shall be to operate, maintain, and improve the National Energy Information System established by Title II of this Act. Enumerates the work priorities of the Bureau. Title II: National Energy Information System - Establishes a National Energy Information System, to be operated and maintained by the Bureau. Directs that the components of the System shall be: (1) a public library of energy information; (2) a confidential library of energy information for restricted governmental use; and (3) a secret library of energy information for use only in preparing anonymous statistics. Specifies the characteristics of the System. States that the purpose of the public library is to make available to the general public promptly and conveniently as much of the information in the System as can be released consistently with national security and reasonable competitive equities. States that the purpose of the secret library is to serve the Nation's need for accurate statistical information on mineral fuel reserves, natural energy resources, and energy industries. Directs the Director to place in the secret library information obtained under authority of this Act for which either the national security or reasonable competitive equities require that the information be wholly suppressed or be published only in statistical aggregations of a size and type sufficient to prevent any person from learning or inferring the data furnished by any particular establishment or individual. Prescribes the priorities for entry of information into the System. Enumerates the standards for entry of information into the public, confidential, and secret libraries. Imposes penalties on any employee of the Bureau or other employee who, having taken and subscribed the oath of office, publishes or communicates, without the written authority of the Secretary or the Director, any information coming into his possession by reason of his employment from or for entry in the confidential library or the secret library of the System. Penalizes refusal or neglect to provide information, and the providing of false information, under this Act. Title III: Energy Resources Inventories and Inspections by the Department of the Interior - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to compile, maintain, and keep current on not less than an annual basis an inventory of all mineral fuel reserves and natural energy resources in the public lands of the United States, including the Outer Continental Shelf. Specifies the content of such compilation. Title IV: Information on Mineral Fuel Reserves and Natural Energy Resources - Makes it the duty of every substantial energy resources company, foreign or domestic, engaged in commerce to report annually to the Director full and complete details of all mineral fuel reserves and natural energy resources which it, together with its affiliates, owns or controls anywhere in the world. Provides that all reports required by this title and title V shall be entered by the Director, immediately upon receipt, into one of the three libraries of the System. Title V: Information on the Energy Industries - Makes it the duty of every major energy company, foreign or domestic, engaged in commerce, to report annually to the Director on its assets and operations, worldwide, on an establishment basis. Specifies the content of such reports. Authorizes the requiring of additional reports, at the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce or the Director. Title VI: General Accounting Office Oversight - Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to review and evaluate the procedures and activities of the Bureau. Title VII: Conformance of and with Other Statutes - Provides that whenever any of the information obtained from any major energy company under this Act is contained in any other report of such company, such report having been filed prior to the effective date of this Act, the Director may excuse such company from filing a report with him, containing the same information. Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Freedom of Information Act and the Federal Reports Act. Title VIII: Miscellaneous - Provides that if any provision of this Act or the applicability thereof is held invalid the remainder of this Act shall not be affected thereby. Authorizes to be appropriated to the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior such amounts, as may be requisite to full and efficient performance of the duties imposed upon such Departments by this Act.

Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 29, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.

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