§ 8501 — Congressional Findings And Purposes

(a) The Congress finds that— (1) serious disruptions have recently occurred in the gasoline and diesel fuel markets of the United States; (2) it is likely that such disruptions will recur; (3) interstate commerce is significantly affected by those market disruptions; (4) an urgent need exists to provide for emergency conservation and other measures with respect to gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, and other energy sources in potentially short supply in order to cope with market disruptions and protect interstate commerce; and (5) up-to-date and reliable information concerning the supply and demand of gasoline, diesel fuel, and other related data is not available to the President, the Congress, or the public. (b) The purposes of this chapter are to— (1) provide a means for the Federal Government, States, and units of local government to establish emergency conservation measures with respect to gasoline, diesel fuel, home heating oil, and other energy sources which may be in short supply; (2) establish other emergency measures to alleviate disruptions in gasoline and diesel fuel markets; (3) obtain data concerning such fuels; and (4) protect interstate commerce.