[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7651 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7651
To provide for methane emission detection and mitigation, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 13, 2024
Mr. Casten (for himself, Mr. Peters, Ms. McClellan, Mr. Mullin, and Mr.
Bowman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for methane emission detection and mitigation, 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 ``Methane Emissions Mitigation
Research and Development Act''.
SEC. 2. METHANE EMISSION DETECTION AND MITIGATION.
(a) In General.--Subtitle F of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16291 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
``SEC. 969E. METHANE LEAK DETECTION AND MITIGATION.
``(a) Technical Assistance.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other appropriate
Federal agencies, shall carry out a program of methane
emissions detection and mitigation research, development, and
demonstration for technologies and methods that significantly
detect, quantify, and mitigate methane emissions. In carrying
out the program, the Secretary shall--
``(A) enter into cooperative agreements with State
or local governments, institutions of higher education,
or for-profit entities to provide technical assistance
to--
``(i) prevent or respond to methane
releases, including prediction, detection,
mitigation, quantification, and identification
of leaks, vents, and other outflows throughout
the natural gas infrastructure (including
natural gas storage, pipelines, and natural gas
production sites); and
``(ii) protect public health in the event
of a major methane release;
``(B) in coordination with representatives from
private sector entities, State and local governments,
and institutions of higher education, establish a
publicly accessible resource for best practices in the
design, construction, maintenance, performance,
monitoring, and incident response for--
``(i) pipeline systems, including
compressor stations;
``(ii) production wells;
``(iii) storage facilities; and
``(iv) other vulnerable infrastructure;
``(C) in coordination with representatives from
private sector entities, State and local governments,
and institutions of higher education, establish a
publicly accessible resource for best practices in
evaluation and incorporation of emission reduction
technologies, including--
``(i) metrics for performance evaluation;
and
``(ii) principles for selection and
integration of emission reduction technologies
that are best suited for the project or entity
concerned;
``(D) support research of technologies to more
accurately quantify emissions, including--
``(i) the ability to accurately
characterize and measure methane emissions
through various atmospheric conditions such as
wind, rain, fog, and dust;
``(ii) improvements to data analytics and
machine learning platforms;
``(iii) the ability to characterize
temporal patterns in emissions, such as through
continuous monitoring or multitiered system
practices;
``(iv) improvements to high-resolution
spectroscopic databases of methane;
``(v) the ability to remotely detect carbon
and ethane isotopes to facilitate attribution
of sources of methane emissions; and
``(vi) improvements to Lidar detection
technologies;
``(E) identify high-risk characteristics of
pipelines, wells, storage facilities, and materials,
geologic risk factors, or other key factors that
increase the likelihood or intensity of methane
emissions leaks;
``(F) identify methane mitigation methods and
technologies in coal mines; and
``(G) in collaboration with private sector entities
and institutions of higher education, quantify and map
significant geologic methane seeps and other sources of
natural emissions across the United States.
``(2) Considerations.--In carrying out the program under
this section, the Secretary shall consider the following:
``(A) Historical data of methane emissions.
``(B) Public health consequences.
``(C) Public safety.
``(D) Novel materials and designs for pipelines,
compressor stations, components, and wells (including
casing, cement, and wellhead).
``(E) Regional geologic traits.
``(F) Induced and natural seismicity.
``(b) Methane Leak Detection Consortium.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date
of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish
and operate a Methane Emissions Measurement and Mitigation
Research Consortium (in this section referred to as the
`Consortium') for the purpose of supporting, to the maximum
extent practicable, data sharing, research prioritization, and
researching cooperative leak detection and repair strategies
pertaining to methane emissions detection, quantification, and
mitigation.
``(2) Membership.--The members of the Consortium shall be
representatives from the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, other relevant Federal agencies, National
Laboratories, oil and gas operators and industry groups,
vendors of methane detection and quantification technologies,
institutions of higher education, community organizations,
relevant nongovernmental organizations, and other entities.
``(3) Responsibilities.--The Consortium shall develop and
implement a multiyear plan that--
``(A) identifies technical goals and milestones for
the Consortium; and
``(B) facilitates data sharing for the purposes
of--
``(i) bettering the understanding of
methane emissions from the oil and gas sector;
``(ii) improving emissions detection,
measurement, and mitigation capabilities,
including assessing multi-tiered atmospheric
measurements; and
``(iii) improving the understanding of
methane quantification data analytics and
machine learning platforms, including for
calibration of measurements.
``(4) Reporting.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall report on
the Consortium's activities to the appropriate
congressional committees.
``(B) Initial report.--Not later than 18 months
after the date of the enactment of this section, the
Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees a report summarizing the activities,
findings, and progress of the program under this
section. The report shall include the following:
``(i) A review of LDAR technologies
available to the oil and gas sector for the
purpose of methane emissions measurement and
mitigation.
``(ii) A summary of research gaps and
priorities related to methane emissions
detection, measurement, and mitigation
capabilities.
``(iii) A description of the data sharing
and cooperative activities that have been
initiated pursuant to paragraph (3)(B).
``(C) Annual report.--Not later than one year after
the date on which the report under subparagraph (B) is
submitted and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report summarizing the activities, findings, and
progress of the program under this section. The report
shall include the following:
``(i) An updated review of LDAR
technologies available to oil and gas operators
for the purpose of methane emissions
measurement and mitigation.
``(ii) A description of the state of
methane emissions detection and measurement
capabilities.
``(iii) A summary of research priorities
relating to methane emissions detection,
measurement, and mitigation.
``(iv) An update on the data sharing and
cooperative activities undertaken by members of
the Consortium.
``(5) Sunset; termination.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may provide
support to the Consortium for a period of not more than
ten years, subject to the availability of
appropriations.
``(B) Merit review.--Not later than five years
after the date on which the Consortium is established,
the Secretary shall conduct a review to determine
whether the Consortium has achieved the technical goals
and milestones identified under paragraph (3)(A).
``(6) Definitions.--In this section:
``(A) Appropriate congressional committees.--The
term `appropriate congressional committees' means the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy
and Natural Resources of the Senate.
``(B) LDAR.--The term `LDAR' means a technology,
program, or activity that is intended to monitor,
detect, measure, or repair methane leaks.
``(C) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the
Secretary of Energy.
``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out
this section the following:
``(A) $36,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
``(B) $38,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.
``(C) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
``(D) $42,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
``(E) $44,000,000 for fiscal year 2029.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by adding at the end of the
items relating to subtitle F of title IX of such Act the following new
item:
``Sec. 969E. Methane leak detection and mitigation.''.
(c) National Facilities for Testing and Intercalibration Program
Relating to Methane.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act and subject to the availability of
appropriations, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with
the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency, shall establish a program
through the National Institute of Standards and Technology's
Center for Greenhouse Gas Measurements, Standards, and
Information established pursuant to section 10222 of the
Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act
(Public Law 117-167; 42 U.S.C. 18932) that establishes national
facilities to advance methane detection, quantification, and
relevant standards and supporting methods for testing and
intercalibration of methane measurements and the publication
and maintenance of standards for such measurements.
(2) Responsibilities.--The facilities established under
paragraph (1) shall facilitate detection and quantification of
carbon, carbon isotopes, methane, ethane, and gases associated
with such sources, provide high-resolution spectroscopic
reference data advancing accuracy of remote sensing
technologies, develop methods relating methane concentration
observations to the associated emission fluxes, and facilitate
the rapid performance testing of existing and new technologies
for the measurement of methane emissions, including testing
conditions with a wide range of the following:
(A) Sizes and extents of emission sources.
(B) Geographic diversity.
(C) Temporal characteristics.
(D) Diversity of atmospheric conditions, such as
wind, rain, fog, clouds, and dust.
(E) Diversity of observing platforms.
(F) Quantification of atmospheric emission plumes.
(3) Annual report.--Not later than two years after the date
of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the
Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress a report
summarizing the activities, findings, and progress of the
program established under paragraph (1).
(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce to carry out
this section the following:
(A) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
(B) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.
(C) $19,000,000 for fiscal year 2027.
(D) $21,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.
(E) $23,000,000 for fiscal year 2029 and each
fiscal year thereafter.
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