[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 731 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 731

 To develop a methodology for, and complete, a national assessment of 
geological storage capacity for carbon dioxide, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 1, 2007

 Mr. Salazar (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Webb, Mr. Tester, and Mr. 
   Bunning) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To develop a methodology for, and complete, a national assessment of 
geological storage capacity for carbon dioxide, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Carbon Dioxide Storage 
Capacity Assessment Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Assessment.--The term ``assessment'' means the national 
        assessment of geological storage capacity for carbon dioxide 
        completed under this Act.
            (2) Capacity; geological storage capacity.--The terms 
        ``capacity'' and ``geological storage capacity'' mean the 
        portion of a storage formation that can retain carbon dioxide 
        under the parameters (including physical, geological, and 
        economic parameters) established under the methodology 
        developed under this Act.
            (3) Engineered hazards.--The term ``engineered hazards'' 
        includes the location and completion history of any well that 
        could affect potential storage.
            (4) Risk.--The term ``risk'' includes risks posed by 
        geomechanical, geochemical, hydrogeological, structural, and 
        engineered hazards.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
        States Geological Survey.
            (6) Storage formation.--The term ``storage formation'' 
        means a saline formation, unmineable coal seam, or oil or gas 
        reservoir capable of accommodating a volume of industrial 
        carbon dioxide.

SEC. 3. METHODOLOGY FOR NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF GEOLOGICAL STORAGE 
              CAPACITY FOR CARBON DIOXIDE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a methodology for 
conducting a national assessment of the geological storage capacity for 
carbon dioxide.
    (b) Potential Storage Formations.--In developing the methodology 
under this section, the Secretary shall consider--
            (1) the geographic extent of all potential storage 
        formations in all 50 States;
            (2) the capacity of the potential storage formations;
            (3) the injectivity of the potential storage formations;
            (4) an estimate of potential volumes of oil and gas 
        recoverable by injection and storage of industrial carbon 
        dioxide in potential storage formations; and
            (5) the risk associated with the potential storage 
        formations.
    (c) Coordination.--
            (1) Federal coordination.--
                    (A) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult with 
                the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the 
                Environmental Protection Agency on issues of data 
                sharing, format, development of the methodology, and 
                content of the assessment required under this Act to 
                ensure the maximum usefulness and success of the 
                assessment.
                    (B) Cooperation.--The Secretary of Energy and the 
                Administrator shall cooperate with the Secretary to 
                ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, the 
                usefulness and success of the assessment.
            (2) State coordination.--The Secretary shall consult with 
        State geological surveys and other relevant entities to ensure, 
        to the maximum extent practicable, the usefulness and success 
        of the assessment.
    (d) Opportunity for Review and Comment.--During the period 
beginning on the date that is 270 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act and ending not less than 45 days, and not more than 90 days, 
after the commencement of the assessment, the Secretary shall provide 
the heads of stakeholder Federal agencies, the heads of State land 
management agencies, industry stakeholders, and the public with an 
opportunity to review and comment on the proposed methodology developed 
under subsection (a).
    (e) Independent Verification.--During the period described in 
subsection (d), the Secretary shall convene a committee of subject 
matter experts composed of representatives of Federal agencies, 
institutions of higher education, nongovernmental organizations, State 
organizations, industry, and international geoscience organizations to 
conduct a review of the methodology for capacity and risk estimation 
required to carry out this section.
    (f) Final Publication.--Not later than 90 days after the period 
described in subsection (d), the Secretary shall--
            (1) publish in the Federal Register a description of the 
        final methodology to be used for conducting the national 
        assessment of the geological storage capacity for carbon 
        dioxide required under subsection (a), taking into account any 
        comments received under subsection (d) and the methodology 
        review conducted under subsection (e); and
            (2) issue a public report that responds to the comments 
        received under subsection (d) and the methodology review under 
        subsection (e).

SEC. 4. COMPLETION OF NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF GEOLOGICAL STORAGE 
              CAPACITY FOR CARBON DIOXIDE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of final 
publication of the methodology, the Secretary shall complete a national 
assessment of geological storage capacity for carbon dioxide using the 
methodology developed under section 3.
    (b) Database.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a database 
        on the Internet accessible to the public that provides the 
        results of the assessment required under this section, 
        including a detailed description of the data collected under 
        the assessment.
            (2) Data.--The database shall include the data necessary to 
        rank potential storage sites for capacity and risk, across the 
        United States, within each State, by formation, and within each 
        basin.
    (c) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date on 
        which the assessment required under this section is completed, 
        the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
        Congress and the President a report that describes the findings 
        of the assessment.
            (2) Public availability.--The Secretary shall make the 
        report required under this subsection available on the 
        Internet.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$20,000,000 for the period beginning on October 1 of the first full 
fiscal year after the date of enactment of this Act and ending 4 years 
thereafter.
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