A bill to amend the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 to require specified electric powerplants to convert back to the use of coal as its primary energy source.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Amends the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Energy to issue coal conversion orders or rules requiring specified existing electric powerplants and major fuel-burning installations to convert from petroleum or natural gas to coal as a primary energy source, unless the Secretary grants an exemption thereof. Lists the facilities covered by this Act, including facilities in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Illinois, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia, Connecticut, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Colorado, New Hampshire, Florida, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Authorizes the Secretary to grant temporary and permanent exemptions to such orders or rules upon his determination that compliance with such orders or rules will result in violations of applicable environmental requirements. Exempts the issuance of such orders or rules from consideration as "major Federal actions" for purposes of the environmental impact statement provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on October 22, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 22, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
CARL PERKINS (D-KY) introduced it on October 22, 1979, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 22, 1979, 17125 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17125 days ago, on October 22, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers