42 U.S.C. § 16524 — Study on the benefits of economic dispatch

(a) Study: Working with the states, the Secretary must study: (1) the procedures electric utilities currently use to perform economic dispatch; (2) possible changes to those procedures that would make it easier for non-utility power generators to offer their output for sale as part of economic dispatch; and (3) the potential benefits to residential, commercial, and industrial electricity consumers, nationally and in each state, if economic dispatch procedures were revised to make it easier for non-utility generators to offer their output this way. (b) Definition: In this section, "economic dispatch" means running generation facilities to produce energy at the lowest cost while reliably serving consumers, while respecting the operating limits of generation and transmission facilities. (c) Report to Congress and the States: Within 90 days after August 8, 2005, and every year after, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress and the states on the study's results, including any recommended legislative or regulatory changes.