[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2805-S2807]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          METHANE HYDRATE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2000

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask the Chair lay before the Senate a 
message from the House of Representatives on the bill (H.R. 1753) to 
promote the research, identification, assessment, exploration, and 
development of gas hydrate resources, and for other purposes,
  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the House of Representatives:
       Resolved, That the House agree to the amendment of the 
     Senate to the title; and agree to the amendment of the Senate 
     to the text to the bill (H.R. 1753) entitled ``An Act to 
     promote the research, identification, assessment, 
     exploration, and development of gas hydrate resources, and 
     for other purposes'', with the following amendment:
       In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate 
     amendment, insert the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Methane Hydrate Research and 
     Development Act of 2000''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Contract.--The term ``contract'' means a procurement 
     contract within the meaning of section 6303 of title 31, 
     United States Code.
       (2) Cooperative agreement.--The term ``cooperative 
     agreement'' means a cooperative agreement within the meaning 
     of section 6305 of title 31, United States Code.
       (3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation.
       (4) Grant.--The term ``grant'' means a grant awarded under 
     a grant agreement, within the meaning of section 6304 of 
     title 31, United States Code.
       (5) Industrial enterprise.--The term ``industrial 
     enterprise'' means a private, nongovernmental enterprise that 
     has an expertise or capability that relates to methane 
     hydrate research and development.
       (6) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' means an institution of 
     higher education, within the meaning of section 102(a) of the 
     Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002(a)).
       (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Energy, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Fossil 
     Energy.
       (8) Secretary of commerce.--The term ``Secretary of 
     Commerce'' means the Secretary of Commerce, acting through 
     the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration.
       (9) Secretary of defense.--The term ``Secretary of 
     Defense'' means the Secretary of Defense, acting through the 
     Secretary of the Navy.
       (10) Secretary of the interior.--The term ``Secretary of 
     the Interior'' means the Secretary of the Interior, acting 
     through the Director of the United States Geological Survey 
     and the Director of the Minerals Management Service.

     SEC. 3. METHANE HYDRATE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--
       (1) Commencement of program.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of 
     Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Director, 
     shall commence a program of methane hydrate research and 
     development in accordance with this section.
       (2) Designations.--The Secretary, the Secretary of 
     Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the 
     Interior, and the Director shall designate individuals to 
     carry out this section.
       (3) Coordination.--The individual designated by the 
     Secretary shall coordinate all activities within the 
     Department of Energy relating to methane hydrate research and 
     development.
       (4) Meetings.--The individuals designated under paragraph 
     (2) shall meet not later than 270 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act and not less frequently than every 120 
     days thereafter to--
       (A) review the progress of the program under paragraph (1); 
     and
       (B) make recommendations on future activities to occur 
     subsequent to the meeting.
       (b) Grants, Contracts, Cooperative Agreements, Interagency 
     Funds Transfer Agreements, and Field Work Proposals.--
       (1) Assistance and coordination.--In carrying out the 
     program of methane hydrate research and development 
     authorized by this section, the Secretary may award grants or 
     contracts to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, 
     institutions of higher education and industrial enterprises 
     to--
       (A) conduct basic and applied research to identify, 
     explore, assess, and develop methane hydrate as a source of 
     energy;
       (B) assist in developing technologies required for 
     efficient and environmentally sound development of methane 
     hydrate resources;
       (C) undertake research programs to provide safe means of 
     transport and storage of methane produced from methane 
     hydrates;
       (D) promote education and training in methane hydrate 
     resource research and resource development;
       (E) conduct basic and applied research to assess and 
     mitigate the environmental impacts of hydrate degassing 
     (including both natural degassing and degassing associated 
     with commercial development);
       (F) develop technologies to reduce the risks of drilling 
     through methane hydrates; and
       (G) conduct exploratory drilling in support of the 
     activities authorized by this paragraph.
       (2) Competitive merit-based review.--Funds made available 
     under paragraph (1) shall be made available based on a 
     competitive merit-based process.

[[Page S2806]]

       (c) Consultation.--The Secretary shall establish an 
     advisory panel consisting of experts from industrial 
     enterprises, institutions of higher education, and Federal 
     agencies to--
       (1) advise the Secretary on potential applications of 
     methane hydrate;
       (2) assist in developing recommendations and priorities for 
     the methane hydrate research and development program carried 
     out under subsection (a)(1); and
       (3) not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act, and at such later dates as the panel considers 
     advisable, submit to Congress a report on the anticipated 
     impact on global climate change from--
       (A) methane hydrate formation;
       (B) methane hydrate degassing (including natural degassing 
     and degassing associated with commercial development); and
       (C) the consumption of natural gas produced from methane 
     hydrates.
     Not more than 25 percent of the individuals serving on the 
     advisory panel shall be Federal employees.
       (d) Limitations.--
       (1) Administrative expenses.--Not more than 5 percent of 
     the amount made available to carry out this section for a 
     fiscal year may be used by the Secretary for expenses 
     associated with the administration of the program carried out 
     under subsection (a)(1).
       (2) Construction costs.--None of the funds made available 
     to carry out this section may be used for the construction of 
     a new building or the acquisition, expansion, remodeling, or 
     alteration of an existing building (including site grading 
     and improvement and architect fees).
       (e) Responsibilities of the Secretary.--In carrying out 
     subsection (b)(1), the Secretary shall--
       (1) facilitate and develop partnerships among government, 
     industrial enterprises, and institutions of higher education 
     to research, identify, assess, and explore methane hydrate 
     resources;
       (2) undertake programs to develop basic information 
     necessary for promoting long-term interest in methane hydrate 
     resources as an energy source;
       (3) ensure that the data and information developed through 
     the program are accessible and widely disseminated as needed 
     and appropriate;
       (4) promote cooperation among agencies that are developing 
     technologies that may hold promise for methane hydrate 
     resource development; and
       (5) report annually to Congress on accomplishments under 
     this section.

     SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE MINING AND MINERALS POLICY ACT OF 
                   1970.

       Section 201 of the Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 
     (30 U.S.C. 1901) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (6)--
       (A) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as subparagraph (H); 
     and
       (C) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the following:
       ``(G) for purposes of this section and sections 202 through 
     205 only, methane hydrate; and'';
       (2) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8); and
       (3) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
       ``(7) The term `methane hydrate' means--
       ``(A) a methane clathrate that is in the form of a methane-
     water ice-like crystalline material and is stable and occurs 
     naturally in deep-ocean and permafrost areas; and
       ``(B) other natural gas hydrates found in association with 
     deep-ocean and permafrost deposits of methane hydrate.''.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
     Energy to carry out this Act--
       (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2001;
       (2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2002;
       (3) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
       (4) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; and
       (5) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.
     Amounts authorized under this section shall remain available 
     until expended.

     SEC. 6. SUNSET.

       Section 3 of this Act shall cease to be effective after the 
     end of fiscal year 2005.

     SEC. 7. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL STUDY.

       The Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the 
     National Research Council for such council to conduct a study 
     of the progress made under the methane hydrate research and 
     development program implemented pursuant to this Act, and to 
     make recommendations for future methane hydrate research and 
     development needs. The Secretary shall transmit to the 
     Congress, not later than September 30, 2004, a report 
     containing the findings and recommendations of the National 
     Research Council under this section.

     SEC. 8. REPORTS AND STUDIES.

       The Secretary of Energy shall provide to the Committee on 
     Science of the House of Representatives copies of any report 
     or study that the Department of Energy prepares at the 
     direction of any committee of the Congress.

  Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, we have a number of bills from my 
Committee on the Calendar that are ready for consideration, but I want 
to take a moment to say a few words about a bill I think has real 
potential for addressing the long-term energy needs of our nation. H.R. 
1753, the Methane hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000, would 
establish a small research program with the potential for a major 
payoff--energy security for the foreseeable future. Methane Hydrates 
are rigid, ice-like solids of water surrounding a gas molecule, found 
at low temperatures and high pressures. When melted or depressurized, 
they release methane, pure natural gas, the same fuel we use to heat 
our homes and power our economy.
  Significant quantities of methane hydrates have been detected all 
over the world. In the U.S., marine geologists have detected deposits 
of methane hydrates in deep sea sediments that lie off the coasts of 
the Carolinas, Louisiana, Texas, California, Oregon, and my home state 
of Alaska. We've also detected methane hydrates under the permafrost 
during conventional oil drilling operations in my home state of Alaska. 
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that nearly 320,000 trillion cubic 
feet of natural gas can be extracted from the methane hydrates found in 
the U.S. alone. Compare that to our existing reserves of cheap, clean 
natural gas--1,300 trillion cubic feet--and our annual use of natural 
gas--just 20 trillion cubic feet per year. Even if we can learn to 
recover just 1 percent of our methane hydrate reserves, we will more 
than triple our available natural gas reserves and guarantee a source 
of cheap, secure and clean energy for the next century and well beyond.
  The problem is: we need fundamental research on these hydrates to 
understand how they form, and how the gas molecule can be released in a 
way that we can use. Even now, methane hydrates pose hazards to 
conventional oil and gas recovery. Hydrates determine the stability and 
strength of the sea floor--when the hydrates are destabilized, the 
resulting gas release can undermine oil platforms and sink drilling 
ships. Methane hydrates release 160 volumes of gas for every volume of 
hydrate--and many existing hydrate formations are very unstable. Even a 
small disturbance--an unintentional landslide--could release massive 
quantities of gas. Oil platforms in the Caspian Sea have been destroyed 
as a result of this kind of accidental release.
  Methane hydrates also play a significant role in global climate 
change. Recent scientific research suggests that abrupt climate changes 
have occurred in the past as a result of release of methane gas from 
hydrates. They are an important part of the global carbon cycle, which 
we must ultimately understand in detail if we want to act responsibly 
to address the risk of climate change. Since natural gas releases fewer 
carbon atoms per unit of energy, replacing coal and oil usage with 
natural gas from methane hydrates also reduces our risk of climate 
change--some experts estimate we can reduce our carbon dioxide 
emissions by 20 percent just by fuel substitution alone. We can also 
learn about carbon sequestration through studying how methane hydrates 
form--perhaps even replacing methane hydrates used for energy with 
hydrates using carbon dioxide sequestered from the atmosphere.

  All of these things point to the need for a fundamental methane 
hydrate research program of the kind proposed in this bill. I want to 
thank my good friends and colleagues on the Energy Committee, Senators 
Akaka and Craig, for their leadership and recognition of the potential 
for methane hydrates to satisfy our future energy needs, enable our 
long-term energy security, and help us responsibly address the risk of 
climate change. Working with our colleagues in the House, we have been 
able to develop legislation that would authorize $45 million in new 
funding for research in this important area. Anticipating passage of a 
bill like this one, the Department of Energy has prepared an excellent 
multi-year research and development program plan that addresses all of 
the issues involved--with the goal of safe commercial production of 
energy from hydrates by 2010.
  It is clear that we are not doing enough to explore the possibility 
of this exciting new energy source. Other nations of the world--Japan, 
Canada, India, Korea and Norway--are starting ambitious research 
programs. The Japanese began a drilling project of their own in 
November 1999, and expect that production can begin within 10 years, 
maybe sooner. The technology exists--Syntroleum, an Oklahoma company--
has recently acquired a patent for a gas hydrate recovery system. All 
we need now is the sustained research to make it commercially viable.
  For those reasons, Mr. President, I am glad that my colleagues here 
in the

[[Page S2807]]

Senate will agree to pass the bill in the form passed by the House two 
weeks ago, so we can send it to the President for signature and get 
going on this important research program. Thanks to the leadership of 
Senators Akaka and Craig, we may look back years from now on this day 
as the day we broke free of our dependence on foreign oil and 
guaranteed ourselves a clean energy source for many years to come.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate agree 
to the amendment of the House to the Senate amendment.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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