# Energy Consumer Protection Act of 2023

This bill gives federal regulators stronger tools to punish companies and individuals who cheat in the electricity and natural gas markets. Right now, if someone manipulates energy prices or lies about market conditions, regulators can fine them, but they can't always stop them from continuing to do business. This bill closes that gap by allowing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to ban wrongdoers from the energy trading business entirely.

The bill targets two main types of misconduct. For electricity markets, it prevents people from buying and selling electric power or related financial products if they've violated rules against market manipulation or unfair practices. For natural gas, it adds a new rule making it illegal to deliberately report false information to government agencies or price-tracking companies—like lying about how much gas is available or what prices are being charged. Anyone caught doing this can be banned from trading natural gas or using transmission pipelines. The bans can be temporary or permanent, depending on how serious the violation is.

In practical terms, this means energy traders and companies have stronger incentives to play by the rules. If someone gets caught manipulating prices to artificially inflate their profits, they won't just pay a fine and keep trading—they could lose their ability to operate in that market altogether. For everyday consumers, this matters because energy market manipulation can drive up electricity and gas bills. By making it harder for bad actors to operate, the bill aims to keep energy prices more stable and fair. The changes mainly affect large energy companies and traders rather than individual consumers directly, but the goal is to protect everyone's wallets by maintaining honest, competitive energy markets.

Energy Consumer Protection Act of 2023

Schakowsky, Janice D.

Energy Consumer Protection Act of 2023This bill expands enforcement provisions under the Federal Power Act and the Natural Gas Act, including by allowing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to temporarily or permanently ban any person from trading in energy markets if the person (1) violates those acts by manipulating the electricity or natural gas markets, or (2) files false information regarding those markets.&nbsp;