This bill requires the Secretary of Energy, working with the Energy Information Administration, to complete a study within 180 days after the bill becomes law. The study must determine the feasibility and effectiveness of creating a national strategic propane reserve separate from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The study must assess the U.S. propane supply chain; causes and risks of regional supply disruptions; whether a reserve is justified; suitable storage locations and amounts; existing infrastructure and additional infrastructure needed; how to prevent propane degradation in storage; triggers (including price and supply) for releasing propane; ways to acquire and store propane while limiting market effects; transaction methods to deliver propane during a release; likely consumers (including individuals, agricultural producers, and the Armed Forces) with a State-by-State usage breakdown; market implications; and alternatives to a reserve. The Secretary must make recommendations on whether to establish a reserve and the most practicable method. Within 180 days after finishing the study, the Secretary must prepare a plan to implement those recommendations. The Secretary is encouraged to coordinate with propane industry entities. A report describing the study and the plan must be submitted to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The Secretary must adopt confidentiality and redaction procedures to protect classified information about energy security vulnerabilities before publishing the report or study.
The bill itself only requires a study and an implementation plan; it does not itself create a propane reserve or change propane supply or prices. The study will collect information about who uses propane, where propane is stored, and risks to supply. That information could be used later by the Department of Energy or Congress if they decide to create or not create a reserve.
No publicly available information on costs or funding is included in the bill text.
The text of the bill shows supporters want a detailed, evidence-based examination of whether a national strategic propane reserve should be created and how it would work. The required study focuses on supply risks, storage locations and amounts, infrastructure needs, release triggers, acquisition methods, likely users, market effects, and possible alternatives.
No publicly available information.