1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2019” or “NOPEC”.
No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2019
A BILL
To amend the Sherman Act to make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal.
2. Sherman act
The Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. 1 et seq.) is amended by adding after section 7 the following:
“7A. Oil producing cartels
“(a) In general—It shall be illegal and a violation of this Act for any foreign state, or any instrumentality or agent of any foreign state, to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state, any instrumentality or agent of any other foreign state, or any other person, whether by cartel or any other association or form of cooperation or joint action—
“(1) to limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product;
“(2) to set or maintain the price of oil, natural gas, or any petroleum product; or
“(3) to otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for oil, natural gas, or any petroleum product,
“(b) Inapplicability of defenses—No court of the United States shall decline, based on the act of state, foreign sovereign compulsion, or political question doctrines to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this section.
“(c) Enforcement—The Attorney General of the United States shall have the sole authority to bring an action to enforce this section. Any such action shall be brought in any district court of the United States as provided under the antitrust laws.”
3. No sovereign immunity in oil cartel cases
Title 28 of the United States Code is amended—
in section 1605(a)—
in paragraph (5) by striking “or” after the semicolon,
in paragraph (6) by striking the period and inserting “; or”, and
by adding at the end the following:
“(7) in which the action is brought under section 7A of the Sherman Act.”
in section 1610(a)—
in paragraph (7) by striking the period at the end and inserting “, or”, and
by adding at the end the following:
“(8) the judgment relates to a claim that is brought under section 7A of the Sherman Act.”
4. Severability
If any provision of this Act (or of an amendment made by this Act) is held invalid the remainder of this Act (or of the amendment) shall not be affected thereby.