42 U.S.C. § 8511 — National and State emergency conservation targets

(a) Determination and publication of targets: If the President decides that a severe shortage of some energy source exists or is about to happen — or that the U.S. needs to cut its energy use to meet its obligations under the international energy program — the President may set monthly energy-saving targets for that energy source, both for the whole country and for each state. The President must promptly send Congress the reasoning behind that finding and make it public. Each state's target equals the state's typical past energy use for that source, minus a percentage that applies equally to every state. "Typical past energy use" means: take how much of the energy source the state used in the same month one year earlier, then adjust that number up or down based on the state's usage trend over the past three years. The President may adjust a state's typical-past-use number to make sure the target doesn't interfere with the goals of a related energy law, and may adjust it further to account for energy already saved through existing conservation programs, energy shortages, or unusual weather. The nationwide percentage cut is set by the President to save enough of that energy source to match the projected shortage, while trying to minimize harm to the economy, taking into account other relevant factors. (b) Notification and publication of targets: The President must tell each state's Governor about that state's target, and must publish the targets, the underlying usage data, and the factors considered, in the Federal Register. (c) Establishment of targets for Federal agencies: Alongside any national target, the President must put in place an emergency energy plan for the federal government itself. That plan must cut federal energy use by at least as much, percentage-wise, as the national target requires. It must include real measures, consistent with other laws, and it must look at ways to cut energy use in (1) federal buildings, facilities, and equipment (whether owned, leased, or under contract) and (2) federal employees' travel, through steps like carpooling, vanpooling, priority parking for multi-passenger vehicles, and more mass-transit use. (d) Review of targets: The President may review and change the national and state targets at any time, and must share the reasoning for any change with Congress and the public. Starting no later than 12 months after a target is set, and every year after that while it's still active, the President must decide whether the energy shortage still exists, is still coming, or whether energy-demand cuts are still needed to meet international obligations — and must make that decision, and its basis, public and available to Congress. If the President decides the shortage no longer exists or isn't required anymore, the target for that energy source stops applying. (e) Determination and publication of actual consumption: Each month, the Secretary must publish in the Federal Register (1) the most recent reliable data on how much of the energy source was actually used, nationally and in each state, and (2) whether the targets have been, or are likely to be, substantially met. (f) Presidential authority not to be delegated: No matter what any other law says, the President cannot hand off the powers given by this section to anyone else.