,,ii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bibi  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #bc1      
#bjah,mr4 ,markey introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,finance 
,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,united      
,states ,trade ,representative to pursue
 a complaint of anticompetitive         
practices against certain oil exporting 
countries4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,,opec              
,accountability ,act of #bjah4  #b4     
,actions to curb certain cartel         
anticompetitive practices  7a7 ,findings
 ,congress makes the following findings3
  7#a7 ,gasoline prices have increased  
by nearly #be percent since the         
beginning of #bjag4  7#b7 ,rising       
gasoline prices have placed an          
inordinate burden on families in the    
,united ,states4  7#c7 ,high gasoline   
prices have hindered and will continue  
to hinder economic growth4  7#d7 ,the   
,organization of ,petroleum ,exporting  

,countries 7in this subsection referred 
to as ,,opec7 and some non-,,opec       
oil-producing countries have formed a   
cartel and engaged in anticompetitive   
practices to reduce global oil          
stockpiles in order to drive up prices4 
7#e7 ,eight member nations of           
,,opec--,ecuador1 ,indonesia1 ,kuwait1  
,nigeria1 ,qatar1 ,saudi ,arabia1       
,united ,arab ,emirates1 and            
,venezuela--are also members of the     
,world ,trade ,organization4 ,iran1     
,iraq and ,libya are also ,observer     
,governments of the ,world ,trade       
,organization4  7#f7 ,the coordinated   
drawdown of global oil stockpiles and   
resulting high prices harm families in  
the ,united ,states1 undermine the      
economy of the ,united ,states1 impede  
commerce in the ,united ,states and     
throughout the world1 and are contrary  
to the national interests of the ,united
 ,states4  7b7 ,action by ,president    
7#a7 ,in general ,notwithstanding any   
other provision of law1 the ,president  

shall1 not later than #ae days after the
 date of the enactment of this ,act1    
initiate consultations with the         
countries described in paragraph 7#b7 to
 seek the elimination by those countries
 of any action that--  7,a7 limits the  
production or distribution of oil1      
natural gas1 or any other petroleum     
product2  7,b7 sets or maintains the    
price of oil1 natural gas1 or any other 
petroleum product2 or  7,c7 otherwise is
 an action in restraint of trade with   
respect to oil1 natural gas1 or any     
other petroleum product1 when such      
action constitutes an act1 policy1 or   
practice that is unjustifiable under    
obligations of the ,,gatt #aiid4  7#b7  
,countries described ,the countries     
described in this paragraph are the     
following3 7,a7 ,the following members  
of ,,opec3  7i7 ,algeria4  7ii7 ,angola4
  7iii7 ,ecuador4  7iv7 ,equatorial     
,guinea4  7v7 ,gabon4  7vi7 ,iran4      
7vii7 ,iraq4  7viii7 ,kuwait4  7ix7     
,libya4  7x7 ,nigeria4  7xi7 ,qatar4    

7xii7 ,saudi ,arabia4  7xiii7 ,united   
,arab ,emirates4  7xiv7 ,venezuela4     
7,b7 ,the following oil-producing       
countries that are not members of       
,,opec3 7i7 ,azerbaijan4  7ii7 ,bahrain4
  7iii7 ,brunei4  7iv7 ,kazakhstan4  7v7
 ,malaysia4  7vi7 ,mexico4  7vii7 ,oman4
  7viii7 ,russia4  7ix7 ,south ,sudan4  
7x7 ,sudan4  7c7 ,initiation of ,,wto   
dispute proceedings ,if the             
consultations described in paragraph    
7#a7 of subsection 7b7 are not          
successful with respect to any country  
described in paragraph 7#b7 of that     
subsection1 the ,united ,states ,trade  
,representative shall1 not later than   
#fj days after the date of the enactment
 of this ,act1 institute proceedings    
pursuant to the ,understanding on ,rules
 and ,procedures ,governing the         
,settlement of ,disputes with respect to
 that country and shall take appropriate
 action with respect to that country    
under the trade remedy laws of the      
,united ,states4  7d7 ,definitions ,in  

this section3  7#a7 ,,gatt #aiid ,the   
term ,,gatt #aiid means the ,general    
,agreement on ,tariffs and ,trade       
annexed to the ,,wto ,agreement4  7#b7  
,understanding on rules and procedures  
governing the settlement of disputes    
,the term ,understanding on ,rules and  
,procedures ,governing the ,settlement  
of ,disputes means the agreement        
described in section #aja7;d77#af7 of   
the ,uruguay ,round ,agreements ,act    
7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #ceaa7;d77#af774  7#c7   
,world ,trade ,organization  ,the term  
,world ,trade ,organization means the   
organization established pursuant to the
 ,,wto ,agreement4  7#d7 ,,wto          
,agreement ,the term ,,wto ,agreement   
means the ,agreement ,establishing ,the 
,world ,trade ,organization entered into
 on ,april #ae1 #aiid4