Severe Fuel Supply Emergency Response Act of 2015

Severe Fuel Supply Emergency Response Act of 2015

This bill amends the Federal Power Act to direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to lead a coordinated federal response to severe fuel supply emergencies. A severe fuel supply emergency is a coal supply deficiency reported to DOE that has the potential to affect at least 500 megawatts of electricity generation or 100,000 electricity customers.

DOE's duties are to:

• promptly investigate the circumstances of the emergency;
• notify the Surface Transportation Board and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) of the existence of the emergency;
• convene a meeting with the Board, FERC, and, as appropriate, the Electric Reliability Organization and affected Regional Entities and Reliability Coordinators; and
• submit in writing to the Board and to FERC, and publicize on the DOE website, recommendations for actions by either the Board or FERC to alleviate the emergency and to prevent future recurrences.