[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1274 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1274
To prohibit the export of liquefied natural gas and petroleum products
to certain countries.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 3, 2025
Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Reed, and Mr. King) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit the export of liquefied natural gas and petroleum products
to certain countries.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting American Households From
Rising Energy Costs Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Petroleum product.--The term ``petroleum product'' has
the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Energy Policy
and Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6202).
(2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON EXPORTS OF LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM
PRODUCTS TO CERTAIN COUNTRIES.
(a) Prohibitions.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, unless a waiver has been issued under subsection (b), no
person or entity may export or resell, either directly or
indirectly through 1 or more third parties, liquefied natural
gas or petroleum products--
(A) to any entity operating in the territory of, or
territory owned by, the People's Republic of China (or
the Chinese Communist Party), the Russian Federation,
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or the
Islamic Republic of Iran; or
(B) to any entity that is under the ownership or
control, as determined by the Secretary in consultation
with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of
Commerce, of the People's Republic of China (or the
Chinese Communist Party), the Russian Federation, the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
(2) Responsibility.--It is the responsibility of the export
authorization holder to ensure compliance with this Act and any
other applicable law or policy, including rules, regulations,
orders, and other determinations made by--
(A) the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the
Department of the Treasury; and
(B) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
(b) Waiver.--
(1) In general.--On application by an exporter, the
Secretary may waive, prior to the date of the applicable
contract, the prohibitions described in subsection (a) with
respect to the sale of liquefied natural gas or petroleum
products.
(2) Requirement.--The Secretary may issue a waiver under
this subsection only if the Secretary determines that an
imminent and acute national security emergency to the United
States exists and that other means of responding to the
emergency would be inadequate.
(3) Applications.--An exporter seeking a waiver under this
subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application by such
date, in such form, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.
(4) Notice to congress.--Not later than 15 days after
issuing a waiver under this subsection, the Secretary shall
provide a copy of the waiver to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of Representatives.
(c) Rulemaking.--The Secretary may promulgate, amend, and rescind
rules and regulations, as the Secretary determines to be appropriate,
to carry out this Act.
SEC. 4. ENFORCEMENT PROVISIONS.
(a) Unlawful Acts.--It shall be unlawful for a person to violate,
attempt to violate, conspire to violate, or cause a violation of any
prohibition of, or any waiver, license, order, or regulation issued
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Civil Penalty.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may impose a civil penalty
on any person who commits an unlawful act described in
subsection (a) in an amount not to exceed the greater of--
(A) $250,000,000; and
(B) an amount that is twice the amount of the
transaction that is the basis of the violation with
respect to which the penalty is imposed.
(2) Notice and opportunity for hearing.--A civil penalty
under paragraph (1) may be imposed by the Secretary by an order
made on the record after providing written notice to the person
to be assessed the civil penalty and an opportunity for a
hearing in accordance with this section and sections 554
through 557 of title 5, United States Code.
(3) Civil action.--If a person described in paragraph (1)
fails to pay a civil penalty imposed by the Secretary under
this subsection after receiving notice and an opportunity for a
hearing under paragraph (2), the Secretary may bring a civil
action against that person in an appropriate district court of
the United States.
(4) Relief.--If a civil action brought by the Secretary
under paragraph (3) is successful, the applicable court may
grant appropriate relief, including--
(A) a temporary injunction;
(B) a permanent injunction; and
(C) enforcing the civil penalties described in
paragraph (1).
(c) Criminal Penalty.--A person who knowingly commits, knowingly
attempts to commit, or knowingly conspires to commit, or aids or abets
in the commission of, an unlawful act described in subsection (a) shall
be fined not more than $100,000,000, imprisoned for not more than 20
years, or both.
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