Energy Supply Act

Energy Supply Act - Title I: Findings and Purposes - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to increase domestic energy supplies and to improve the management of the nation's available energy resources.

Title II: Priority Energy Project Act - Priority Energy Project Act of 1979 - Centralizes responsibilities for a coordinated process for expediting Federal approval of non-nuclear energy facilities determined to be of national interest.

Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to designate any proposed non-nuclear energy facility as a priority energy project. Authorizes any person planning or proposing such a facility to apply for such a designation. Establishes procedures and criteria for making such designations. Exempts such designations from the National Environmental Policy Act.

Directs Federal agencies involved in the approval of such projects to submit to the Secretary: (1) a compilation of all significant actions required by such agency before rendering a decision on such projects; (2) a compilation of all actions required of the applicant; (3) a tentative schedule for completing agency and applicant action; and (4) all necessary application forms required for such approval.

Directs the Secretary to publish a Project Decision Schedule setting deadlines for all such actions. Authorizes the President to act in lieu of any Federal agency failing to meet its deadline.

Authorizes the Secretary to establish deadlines for Federal agency action which are shorter than the minimum period required under existing legislation in cases of exceptional national need.

Provides for coordination of the actions of Federal, State, and local governments without impinging on the substantive and procedural requirements of State and local law, but directs the Secretary to recommend to a State Governor and to the Congress actions to alleviate or prevent any delays in a priority energy project created or threatened by any State or local government.

Exempts from judicial review the actions of Federal officers or agencies pursuant to this Act, except as provided for therein.

Sets time limits for filing claims arising out of action pursuant to this Act, and bars any claims filed thereafter. Stipulates that such claims shall be brought in the United States court of appeals for the circuit where the project would be located, and grants exclusive original jurisdiction to such court in such matters. Directs such court to give precedence to such matters over all other matters on the court's docket to the greatest extent practicable.

Authorizes the Supreme Court, exclusively, to review interlocutory judgments or orders of the court of appeals pursuant to this Act, and directs the Supreme Court to give precedence to such matters to the greatest extent practicable.

Prohibits the granting of injunctive relief against the issuance of any right-of-way, permit, lease, or other authorization pursuant to this Act except in conjunction with a final judgment on a claim filed under this Act.

Establishes an Office for Priority Energy Projects within the Department of Energy to assist the Secretary.

Terminates the Secretary's authority to designate priority energy projects seven years after enactment of this Act.

Title III: Demonstration of Near-Term Energy Technologies - Directs the Secretary to solicit proposals for commercial demonstration of any of the energy technologies covered by the Federal Non-nuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, including solar, geothermal, synthetic fuels and conservation technologies. Requires that such proposals be reviewed within 90 days and transmitted to the Congress with recommendations.

Title IV: Department of Energy Project Authorizations - Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1980 and subsequent years for a variety of energy development, demonstration, and commercialization projects for solvent refined coal, high and low Btu gasification, geothermal energy, oil shale, fuel cells, fluidized bed combustion, and urban and industrial waste.

Increases the number of small hydroelectric power plants eligible for Federal assistance.

Title V: Oil Shale - Establishes a program to determine the commercial viability of oil shale retorting technologies. Directs the Secretary to solicit proposals for the design, construction, and initial operation of Federal oil-shale commercial demonstration projects.

Sets forth criteria for selecting, locating, and evaluating such projects with respect to their economic viability and their social, environmental, and economic impacts on local communities.

Establishes a Social and Environmental Impact Advisory Panel to advise the Secretary on matters relating to the oil shale program, including impacts on State and local governments, environmental, health, and safety effects of the test facilities, and measures for preventing or mitigating such impacts.

Authorizes the Secretary to guarantee and make commitments to guarantee the payment of interest on obligations for financing essential community development and planning resulting from this title. Sets the maximum amount of obligations to be guaranteed under this title at $20,000,000 for fiscal years 1980 and 1981.

Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to State and local governments for studying and planning for mitigation of the potential economic, environmental, and social impacts of projects authorized by this title and for establishing related management expertise. Authorizes the appropriation of $200,000 for such grants for fiscal year 1980.

Establishes in the Department of the Treasury the Oil Shale Commercialization Test Special Fund for the purpose of providing funds for impact assistance as prescribed by this title.

Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the heads of specified agencies and departments, to prepare and submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for the acquisition of information and evaluation of the impacts of the oil shale program. Specifies components of such plan.

Requires that the Secretary prepare and submit to Congress an annual report on activities conducted under this Act.

Makes the information collected by the Secretary pursuant to this title available to the public.

Authorizes the appropriation of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1980 to carry out the provisions of this Act.

Title VI: Study of World Oil Supply and Production Opportunities - Directs the Secretary to prepare and submit to Congress a study of world oil supply and production opportunities in non-OPEC countries, including an evaluation of alternative policies for increasing exploration and production, and an assessment of present United States initiatives and potential for new oil discoveries.

Title VII: Oil and Gas Leasing - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a five-year program to lease on-shore Federal lands for oil and gas exploration, development, and production. Requires expedited decisions on leasing applications and expanded use of competitive bidding.

Requires leases to describe exploration activities in an exploration plan, and to describe development and production activities in a development and production plan, prior to obtaining the Secretary's approval of such activities.

Makes provision for assuring the protection of non-energy resources on such lands as are leased under this title.

Limits judicial review and relief from the Secretary's actions or determinations to those cases where any such action on determination is found to be arbitrary or capricious.

Title VIII: Gasohol - Directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a program promoting the use of alcohol blended fuels.

Directs the Secretary, in consultation with appropriate agencies, to conduct a study to determine the most suitable raw materials for the production of alcohol motor fuel and the nature of the alcohol motor fuel distribution system and production processes.

Directs the Secretary to set mandatory annual production levels for alcohol fuels for the period of 1981 through 1990. Stipulates that the alcohol content of gasoline shall be increased from one percent to ten percent over the ten-year period.

Imposes civil penalties upon refiners violating such production requirements.

Requires any facility built for alcohol distillation pursuant to this title to give priority to the use of renewable energy resources as its operating fuel.

Authorizes the appropriation of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 1979 to carry out the purposes of this title.

Title IX: Short-Term Initiatives - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy, in cooperation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), to implement a two-year program to require any petroleum-fueled commercial, industrial, or utility facility having a natural gas or coal capability to switch to the alternative fuel to replace the oil being used therein.

Directs the FERC to order the installation of natural gas transportation facilities by pipeline owners to accommodate the fuel switching requirements of this subtitle.

Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether, a proposal to switch to coal requires a waiver of any State air pollution control standard or limitation in effect pursuant to the Clean Air Act.

Exempts facilities required to switch to natural gas which are subject to the requirements of the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1979 from such requirements for two years.

Authorizes the Secretary or the FERC to seek injunctive relief for anticipated or actual violations of this subtitle. Imposes a civil penalty not to exceed $5,000 for knowing violations of this subtitle, and criminal penalties up to $50,000 and imprisonment for willful violations.

Terminates such fuel switching program two years after the date of enactment.

Authorizes the Secretary to order utilities to generate, transfer, wheel, or purchase electric power upon a determination that such action would reduce oil consumption by electric utilities. Limits the duration of such orders to 30 days.

Directs the FERC to set rates for generating and transmitting power pursuant to such orders from the Secretary.

Provides for enforcement mechanisms for violations of such electric power transfer requirements.

Sets forth an expedited judicial review process for persons aggrieved by any order issued by the Secretary under this title.

Title X: Renewable Energy Resources - Establishes a national goal of 20 quadrillion Btu's of energy to be supplied by the year 2000 from renewable energy resources such as solar energy, wind energy, and urban waste systems.

Establishes the Solar Heating and Cooling Information Center to provide information on renewable energy resources.

Requires the inclusion of cost-effective solar systems in new Federal buildings, the construction of renewable energy generating facilities by the Federal power administrations, and the making of federally-subsidized low-interest loans for the purchase and installation of solar energy systems by owners or builders of commercial and residential structures.

Directs the heads of each Federal agency operating a fueling station for civilian gasoline motor vehicles to require that such stations only dispense ten percent alcohol-blended gasoline. Directs the head of each Federal agency operating a retail gasoline supply outlet to require that such outlets offer for retail sale ten percent alcohol-blended gasoline.

Establishes within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Solar Programs a Solar Energy Loan Program to administer the low-interest loan program.

Authorizes the appropriation of $100,000,000 for fiscal year 1980 for such loan program.

Establishes as wind energy program objectives to reach by fiscal year 1986, a total megawatt capacity in the United States from wind energy systems of 500 megawatts and a reduction of the average cost of wind generated electricity to a level competitive with conventional energy sources.

Directs the Secretary to establish research, development, and demonstration programs to promote the use of wind-energy systems by means of Federal financial assistance, subsidies, and contract awards.

Establishes a wind energy commercialization program for the accelerated procurement and installation of wind energy systems in Federal facilities.

Establishes an advisory committee to assist the Secretary in performing his duties relating to the wind energy program.

Authorizes the appropriation of $200,000,000 for fiscal year 1980 to carry out this Act, of which $100,000,000 shall be used for the wind energy program.