[DOE Authority To Regulate Electricity Imports]

In response to a congressional request, GAO evaluated the Department of Energy's (DOE) authority to regulate electricity imports to determine whether DOE could use its presidential permit for this purpose. GAO found that: (1) Congress has not delegated any specific authority to DOE or the President to regulate electricity imports; (2) whether trade laws would be available to regulate electricity imports would depend on the particular circumstances surrounding the import; (3) it is not clear that the presidential permit may be used to regulate electricity imports; (4) the courts have not ruled on the matter of whether the President has the constitutional power to regulate international trade; and (5) it would be appropriate for DOE to monitor and evaluate the importation of electricity from Canada to ascertain whether there are problems which the federal government should address.