[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2830 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2830

To authorize methane leak detection and mitigation research activities 
                      by the Department of Energy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 8, 2017

    Mr. Veasey (for himself, Mr. Curbelo of Florida, and Mr. Mast) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                     Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize methane leak detection and mitigation research activities 
                      by the Department of Energy.

    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 ``Methane Emissions Mitigation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) methane is a valuable, energy-dense fuel source 
        composing the majority of natural gas;
            (2) in 2014, the United States lost more than 9.8 million 
        metric tons of natural gas, worth almost $2 billion, through 
        methane leaks and intentional releases throughout the oil and 
        gas system;
            (3) the comparative impact of methane on climate change is 
        more than 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year 
        period, and more than 80 times greater over a 20-year period; 
        and
            (4) identifying and eliminating leaks is a necessary step 
        in fighting climate change, and additional research is 
        necessary to further commercialize leak detection and 
        mitigation technologies.

SEC. 3. METHANE LEAK DETECTION AND MITIGATION RESEARCH.

    (a) Requirement.--The Secretary of Energy shall carry out a program 
of research and development in methane leak detection and mitigation.
    (b) Program Goal.--The Secretary shall set a goal of developing a 
variety of technologies that--
            (1) enable United States natural gas operations to 
        eliminate methane leaks by fiscal year 2025; and
            (2) cost less to purchase and operate than the market value 
        of the gas that would have leaked but for such technologies.

SEC. 4. TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION PRIZE COMPETITION.

    The Secretary of Energy shall carry out a methane leak detection 
and mitigation technology demonstration prize competition under section 
24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
3719).

SEC. 5. TECHNOLOGY CLEARINGHOUSE PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary of Energy shall 
establish and promote a program to encourage technological innovation 
in development and commercialization of methane leak detection and 
mitigation technology.
    (b) Elements of Program.--The program described in subsection (a) 
shall include--
            (1) the establishment of a centralized Federal 
        clearinghouse for public access to information relating to 
        technologies and best practices for methane leak detection and 
        mitigation;
            (2) the issuance of announcements seeking unique and 
        innovative technologies to advance the mission of the 
        Department under this Act; and
            (3) the provision of information for persons seeking 
        guidance on how to pursue proposals to develop or deploy 
        technologies that would reduce methane emissions, including 
        information relating to industry technology acquisition 
        practices.
    (c) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Secretary's 
designated officers shall coordinate with the Department of Energy's 
Office of Technology Transitions.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy 
for carrying out this Act $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 
through 2025.
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