'Off-Gas' Provisions of the Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act.
Abstract
Because the FUA prohibitions on electric utility natural gas use were repealed as part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (House Report 97-208, Sec. 1021), we prepared this letter summarizing our findings on FUA's 'off-gas' provisions primarily for informational purposes. The 'off-gas' provisions of FUA were designed to (1) conserve natural gas for uses other than the generation of electricity; (2) encourage the use of coal or other alternative fuels in place of natural gas; and (3) ensure natural gas availability for high priority purposes. The 'off-gas' provisions also responded to the continuing trend of declining natural gas production. However, the utility industry maintained strong opposition to the off-gas provisions on the grounds that (1) the replacement of large portions of the generating capacity of natural gas-dependent utilities was beyond their financial capability, (2) the industry's plans already called for replacement of natural gas with other fuels on an orderly basis, and (3) implementation of the off-gas provisions would result increased dependence on imported oil. Our survey of this area featured a questionnaire.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 15, 1981
- Accession Number
- ADA111561
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office