Skip to content

Title 15 — Commerce and Trade

Chapter 60 — Natural Gas Policy

§ 3392. Natural gas for essential industrial process and feedstock uses

Statutory text

(a)

General rule

The Secretary of Energy shall prescribe and make effective a rule which provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law (other than subsection (b)) and to the maximum extent practicable, no interstate pipeline may curtail deliveries of natural gas for any essential industrial process or feedstock use, unless such curtailment—

(1)

does not reduce the quantity of natural gas delivered for such use below the use requirement specified in subsection (c);

(2)

is necessary in order to meet the requirements of high-priority users; or

(3)

is necessary in order to meet the requirements for essential agricultural uses of natural gas for which curtailment priority is established under section 3391 of this title.

(b)

Curtailment priority applicable only if alternative fuel not available

The provisions of subsection (a) shall apply with respect to any curtailment of deliveries for any essential industrial process or feedstock use only if the Commission determines that use of a fuel (other than natural gas) is not economically practicable and that no fuel is reasonably available as an alternative for such use.

(c)

Determination of essential industrial use requirements

The Secretary of Energy shall determine and certify to the Commission the natural gas requirements (expressed either as volumes or percentages of use) of persons (or classes thereof) for essential industrial process and feedstock uses (other than those referred to in section 3391(f)(1)(B) of this title).

(d)

Definitions

For purposes of this section—

(1)

Essential industrial process or feedstock use

The term “essential industrial process or feedstock use” means any use of natural gas in an industrial process or as a feedstock which the Secretary determines is essential.

(2)

High-priority user

The term “high-priority user” has the same meaning as given such term in section 3391(f)(2) of this title.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 95–621 title IV § 402 · 92 Stat. 3350

    Enacted · 15 U.S.C. § 3392

    (Pub. L. 95–621, title IV, § 402, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3395.)

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    (Pub. L. 95–621, title IV, § 402, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3395.)

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    SEC. 402. NATURAL GAS FOR ESSENTIAL INDUSTRIAL PROCESS AND FEEDSTOCK USES. (a) General Rule.— The Secretary of Energy shall prescribe and 15 USC 3392. make effective a rule which provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law (other than subsection (b)) and to the maximum extent practicable, no interstate pipeline may curtail deliveries of natural gas for any essential industrial process or feedstock use, unless such curtailment— (1) does not reduce the quantity of natural gas delivered for such use below the use requirement specified in subsection (c); (2) is necessary in order to meet the requirements of high-priority users; or (3) is necessary in order to meet the requirements for essential agricultural uses of natural gas for which curtailment priority is established under section 401. (b) Curtailment Priority Applicable Only if Alternative Fuel Not Available.— The provisions of subsection (a) shall apply with respect to any curtailment of deliveries for any essential industrial process or feedstock use only if the Commission determines that use of a fuel (other than natural gas) is not economically practicable and that no fuel is reasonably available as an alternative for such use. (c) Determination of Essential Industrial Use Requirements.— The Secretary of Energy shall determine and certify to the Commission the natural gas requirements (expressed either as volumes or percentages of use) of persons (or classes thereof) for essential industrial process and feedstock uses (other than those referred to in section 401 (f) (1) (B)). (d) Definitions.— For purposes of this section— (1) Essential industrial process or feedstock use.— The term “essential industrial process or feedstock use” means any use of natural gas in an industrial process or as a feedstock which the Secretary determines is essential. (2) High-priority user.— The term “high-priority user” has the same meaning as given such term in section 401 (f) (2).

1 of 1 references resolved to an enrolled provision

Credits

(Pub. L. 95–621, title IV, § 402, , 92 Stat. 3395.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc15.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-09-09

USLM identifier /us/usc/t15/s3392