[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.
____________________