Text: HR00007 Text: HR00009 Text: HR00000 - HR00099 Text: HR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. ____ 1 2 BY QUIRK, FALCK, MERTZ, DOTZLER, HATCH, T. TAYLOR, 1 3 REYNOLDS, SMITH, GREIMANN, LARKIN, WISE, WINCKLER, 1 4 PETERSEN, RICHARDSON, MYERS, HOVERSTEN, ATTEBERRY, 1 5 and KUHN 1 6 A House Resolution requesting the United States 1 7 Congress to hold hearings and investigate possible 1 8 wrongdoings related to the production and sale of 1 9 natural gas. 1 10 WHEREAS, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 1 11 issued Order 380 in 1984, beginning the deregulation 1 12 of pipeline price and access, and completed this 1 13 process by issuing Order 636 in 1992; and 1 14 WHEREAS, the United States Congress passed the 1 15 Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 which phased out the 1 16 regulation of natural gas wellhead prices, with total 1 17 deregulation being completed by January 1, 1993; and 1 18 WHEREAS, fifty-three percent of the 101.5 million 1 19 households in the United States currently use natural 1 20 gas for home heating; and 1 21 WHEREAS, eighty-three percent of the 21.6 million 1 22 households in the United States located in the Midwest 1 23 use natural gas for home heating, the highest 1 24 concentration in the nation; and 1 25 WHEREAS, natural gas is used in the production of 1 26 nitrogen fertilizers which Iowa and American farmers 1 27 rely on to maintain crop yields and low household food 1 28 costs; and 1 29 WHEREAS, the average wellhead price for natural gas 1 30 has increased $1.69 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) in 2 1 September 1998 to almost $4.00 per Mcf by September 2 2 2000; and 2 3 WHEREAS, Midwest homeowners will pay almost $2.00 2 4 per Mcf more for natural gas this winter as compared 2 5 to last winter; and 2 6 WHEREAS, total United States residential natural 2 7 gas expenditures are expected to reach $8 billion for 2 8 the current month of January 2001; and 2 9 WHEREAS, nitrogen fertilizer producers are shutting 2 10 down production facilities and selling natural gas 2 11 stocks in order to take advantage of current high 2 12 market prices which will lead to nitrogen fertilizer 2 13 shortages and lower crop yields; and 2 14 WHEREAS, demand for natural gas will continue to 2 15 accelerate due to the preference for natural gas 2 16 heating in new home construction and for natural gas- 2 17 fired electric generation by utility companies for new 2 18 power plants coming on line and currently being 2 19 planned; and 2 20 WHEREAS, this continuing increase in demand for 2 21 natural gas will cause prices to continue at much 2 22 higher levels than experienced in recent years; NOW 2 23 THEREFORE, 2 24 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 25 That the Iowa House of Representatives urges the 2 26 United States Congress to hold hearings and 2 27 investigate the production and sale of natural gas to 2 28 determine whether producers have cooperated, 2 29 conspired, colluded, or otherwise acted to set or fix 2 30 natural gas prices or whether producers have engaged 3 1 in any other activity which has had the effect of 3 2 restraining the sale of natural gas or of monopolizing 3 3 the natural gas market; and 3 4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Iowa House of 3 5 Representatives urges the United States Congress, if 3 6 it should find evidence of wrongdoing, to refer its 3 7 findings to the United States Attorney General for 3 8 prosecution of the acts and for the recovery of 3 9 economic damages on behalf of the people of the United 3 10 States; and 3 11 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this 3 12 resolution be sent to the President of the United 3 13 States, the President of the United States Senate, the 3 14 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, 3 15 to each member of the Iowa congressional delegation, 3 16 and to the United States Attorney General. 3 17 LSB 2043HH 79 3 18 tm/cls/14
Text: HR00007 Text: HR00009 Text: HR00000 - HR00099 Text: HR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
© 2001 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page?
webmaster@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Wed May 9 09:40:40 CDT 2001
URL: /DOCS/GA/79GA/Legislation/HR/00000/HR00008/010126.html
jhf