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Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973

Public Law 93-159 · S. 1570 · 93rd Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Richard Nixon (R) on Nov 27, 1973 · Energy

Major law

Sponsor: Sen. Scoop Jackson (D-WA)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. Fritz Hollings

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 348 yea, 46 nay348–46
  • SenateRecorded vote: 83 yea, 3 nay83–3
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act - States that the purpose of this Act is to grant to the President of the United States and direct him to exercise specific temporary authority to deal with shortages of crude oil, residual fuel oil, and refined petroleum products or dislocations in their national distribution system. Declares that the authority granted under this Act shall be exercised for the purpose of minimizing the adverse impacts of such shortages or dislocations on the American people and the domestic economy.

Provides that, not later than fifteen days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall promulgate a regulation providing for the mandatory allocation of crude oil, residual fuel oil, and each refined petroleum product, in amounts specified in (or determined in a manner prescribed by) and at prices specified in (or determined in a manner prescribed by) such regulation. States that such regulation shall take effect not later than fifteen days after its promulgation.

Declares that in specifying prices, such regulation shall provide for: (1) a dollar-for-dollar passthrough of net increases in the cost of crude oil, residual fuel oil, and refined petroleum products to all marketers or distributors at the retail level; and (2) the use of the same date in the computation of markup, margin, and posted price for all marketers or distributors of crude oil, residual fuel oil and refined petroleum products at all levels of marketing and distribution.

Provides that the mandatory allocation program established under the regulation shall be so structured as to result in the allocation, during each period during which the regulation applies, of each refined petroleum product to each branded independent marketer, each nonbranded independent marketer, each small refiner and each independent refiner, and of crude oil to each small refiner and independent refiner, in an amount not less than the amount sold or otherwise supplied to such marketer or refiner during the corresponding period of 1972, adjusted to provide: (1) in the case of refined petroleum products, a pro rata reduction in the amount allocated to each person engaged in the marketing or distribution of a refined petroleum product if the aggregate amount of such product produced in and imported into the United States is less than the aggregate amount produced and imported in calendar year 1972; and (2) in the case of crude oil, a pro rata reduction in the amount of crude oil allocated to each refiner if the aggregate amount produced in and imported into the United States is less than the aggregate amount produced and imported in calendar year 1972.

Requires the President to report to the Congress monthly, beginning not later than January 1, 1974, with respect to any change after calendar year 1972 in: (1) the aggregate share of nonbranded independent marketers, (2) the aggregate share of branded independent marketers, and (3) the aggregate share of other persons engaged in the marketing or distributing of refined petroleum products of the national market or the regional market in any refined petroleum product (as such regional markets shall be determined by the President).

States that if allocation of any increase of the amount of any refined petroleum product produced in or imported into the United States in excess of the amount produced or imported in calendar year 1972 contributes in a significant increase in any market share described above, the President shall by order require an equitable adjustment in allocations of such product.

Provides that the President may, by order, require such adjustments in the allocations of refined petroleum products and crude oil established under the regulation as he determines may reasonably be necessary.

Declares that if at any time after the date of enactment of this Act the President finds that application of the regulation to crude oil, residual fuel oil, or a refined petroleum product is not necessary to carry out this Act, that there is no shortage of such oil or product, and that exempting such oil or product from such regulation will not have an adverse impact on the supply of any other oil or refined petroleum products subject to this Act, he may prescribe an amendment to the regulation exempting such oil or product from such regulation for a period of not more than ninety days. Requires the President to submit any such amendment and any such findings to the Congress.

Directs the Federal Trade Commission to monitor the program established under such regulation; and, not later than sixty days after such effective date, shall report to the President and to the Congress respecting the effectiveness of this Act and actions taken pursuant thereto.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 93rd Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 86 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

86 yea3 nay11 present or did not vote

Dimension 2
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(50)

  • Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
  • Sen. Harold HughesD-IA
  • Sen. Mike MansfieldD-MT
  • Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
  • Sen. George McGovernD-SD
  • Sen. Dick ClarkD-IA
  • Sen. Lee MetcalfD-MT
  • Sen. Frank ChurchD-ID
  • Sen. William HathawayD-ME
  • Sen. Philip HartD-MI
  • Sen. Rupert HartkeD-IN
  • Sen. James FulbrightD-AR
  • Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE
  • Sen. Floyd HaskellD-CO
  • Sen. Walter MondaleD-MN
  • Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
  • Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
  • Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
  • Sen. Stuart SymingtonD-MO
  • Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
  • Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
  • Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
  • Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
  • Sen. Abraham RibicoffD-CT
  • Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
  • Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
  • Sen. Mike GravelD-AK
  • Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
  • Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
  • Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV
  • Sen. Joseph MontoyaD-NM
  • Sen. John TunneyD-CA
  • Sen. John PastoreD-RI
  • Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
  • Sen. Thomas McIntyreD-NH
  • Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI
  • Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
  • Sen. Howard CannonD-NV
  • Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
  • Sen. Russell LongD-LA
  • Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
  • Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
  • Sen. Gale McGeeD-WY
  • Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
  • Sen. Samuel ErvinD-NC
  • Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
  • Sen. John McClellanD-AR
  • Sen. James AllenD-AL
  • Sen. James EastlandD-MS
  • Sen. Harry ByrdD-VA

Republicans who voted yea(36)

  • Sen. Clifford CaseR-NJ
  • Sen. Edward BrookeR-MA
  • Sen. Jacob JavitsR-NY
  • Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
  • Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
  • Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
  • Sen. James PearsonR-KS
  • Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
  • Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
  • Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
  • Sen. Milton YoungR-ND
  • Sen. George AikenR-VT
  • Sen. Ted StevensR-AK
  • Sen. Marlow CookR-KY
  • Sen. John BeallR-MD
  • Sen. Hugh ScottR-PA
  • Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
  • Sen. Hiram FongR-HI
  • Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
  • Sen. Edward GurneyR-FL
  • Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
  • Sen. Robert TaftR-OH
  • Sen. William RothR-DE
  • Sen. Henry BellmonR-OK
  • Sen. Robert GriffinR-MI
  • Sen. James McClureR-ID
  • Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
  • Sen. Norris CottonR-NH
  • Sen. Roman HruskaR-NE
  • Sen. John TowerR-TX
  • Sen. Carl CurtisR-NE
  • Sen. Clifford HansenR-WY
  • Sen. Wallace BennettR-UT
  • Sen. Paul FanninR-AZ
  • Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
  • Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 465 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.

  1. Nov 27, 1973Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  2. PresidentPresident · Public law 93-159.
  3. Nov 15, 1973PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
  4. Nov 14, 1973Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report, roll call #481 (83-3).Senate roll call 481
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report, roll call #481 (83-3).Senate roll call 481
  6. Nov 13, 1973Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to conference report, roll call #581 (348-46).House roll call 581
  7. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House agreed to conference report, roll call #581 (348-46).House roll call 581
  8. Nov 10, 1973Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 93-628.
  9. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 93-628.
  10. Oct 31, 1973Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in House.
  11. Oct 30, 1973Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in Senate.
  12. Oct 17, 1973FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 9681.
  13. Jun 7, 1973CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
  14. Jun 5, 1973FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #170 (85-10).Senate roll call 170
  15. May 17, 1973CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  16. Apr 13, 1973CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  17. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.