Prohibited actions

Action taken under the authorities to which this section applies, resulting in the allocation of petroleum products or electrical energy among classes of users or resulting in restrictions on use of petroleum products and electrical energy shall not be based upon unreasonable classifications of, or unreasonable differentiations between, classes of users. In making any such allocation the President, or any agency of the United States to which such authority is delegated, shall give consideration to the need to foster reciprocal and nondiscriminatory treatment by foreign countries of United States citizens engaged in commerce in those countries. To the maximum extent practicable, any restriction under authorities to which this section applies on the use of energy shall be designed to be carried out in such manner so as to be fair and to create a reasonable distribution of the burden of such restriction on all sectors of the economy, without imposing an unreasonably disproportionate share of such burden on any specific class of industry, business, or commercial enterprise, or on any individual segment thereof. In prescribing any such restriction, due consideration shall be given to the needs of commercial, retail, and service establishments whose normal function is to supply goods or services of an essential convenience nature during times of day other than conventional daytime working hours. This section applies to actions under any of the following authorities: