---
kind: "section"
citation: "15 U.S.C. § 3392"
title: "15"
title_heading: "Commerce and Trade"
number: "3392"
heading: "Natural gas for essential industrial process and feedstock uses"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/15/3392"
units:
  - "Chapter 60 — Natural Gas Policy"
  - "Subchapter IV — Natural Gas Curtailment Policies"
---

# §3392. Natural gas for essential industrial process and feedstock uses

- (a) **General rule—** The Secretary of Energy shall prescribe and make effective a rule which provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law (other than [subsection (b)](#b)) and to the maximum extent practicable, no [interstate pipeline](/usc/15/3301.md?p=15) may curtail deliveries of [natural gas](/usc/15/3301.md?p=1) for any essential industrial process or feedstock use, unless such curtailment—
  - (1) does not reduce the quantity of [natural gas](/usc/15/3301.md?p=1) delivered for such use below the use requirement specified in [subsection (c)](#c);
  - (2) is necessary in order to meet the requirements of high-priority users; or
  - (3) is necessary in order to meet the requirements for essential agricultural uses of [natural gas](/usc/15/3301.md?p=1) for which curtailment priority is established under [section 3391 of this title](/usc/15/3391.md).
- (b) **Curtailment priority applicable only if alternative fuel not available—** The provisions of [subsection (a)](#a) shall apply with respect to any curtailment of deliveries for any essential industrial process or feedstock use only if the [Commission](/usc/15/3301.md?p=24) determines that use of a fuel (other than [natural gas](/usc/15/3301.md?p=1)) is not economically practicable and that no fuel is reasonably available as an alternative for such use.
- (c) **Determination of essential industrial use requirements—** The Secretary of Energy shall determine and certify to the [Commission](/usc/15/3301.md?p=24) the [natural gas](/usc/15/3301.md?p=1) requirements (expressed either as volumes or percentages of use) of [persons](/usc/15/3301.md?p=26) (or classes thereof) for essential industrial process and feedstock uses (other than those referred to in [section 3391(f)(1)(B) of this title](/usc/15/3391.md?p=f-1-B)).
- (d) **Definitions—** For purposes of this section—
  - (1) **Essential industrial process or feedstock use—** The term “essential industrial process or feedstock use” means any use of [natural gas](/usc/15/3301.md?p=1) in an industrial process or as a feedstock which the Secretary determines is essential.
  - (2) **High-priority user—** The term “high-priority user” has the same meaning as given such term in [section 3391(f)(2) of this title](/usc/15/3391.md?p=f-2).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 95–621, title IV, § 402, Nov. 9, 1978, 92 Stat. 3395.)