,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bgaa ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #ad1 #bjai,ms4 ,de,gette 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,ms4 ,haaland1 and ,mr4 ,lujn7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,federal ,oil and ,gas ,royalty ,management ,act of #aihb 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #agja et seq47 to require the ,secretary of the ,interior to issue regulations to reduce and prevent gas waste and to enhance gas measuring and reporting1 to codify a final rule of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency regarding certain emission standards for the oil and natural gas sector1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short ,title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,methane ,waste ,prevention ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,codification of ,final ,rule ,the amendments to the ,code of ,federal ,regulations made pursuant to the final rule of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 titled ,oil and ,natural ,gas ,sector3 ,emission ,standards for ,new1 ,reconstructed1 and ,modified ,sources and published in the ,federal ,register on ,june #c1 #bjaf 7#ha ,fed4 ,reg4 #cehbd71 shall have the same force and effect of law as if such amendments had been enacted by an ,act of ,congress1 except that the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency may revise such regulations1 as provided for under the ,clean ,air ,act1 if such revision would result in a reduction in gas release4 #c4 ,gas waste reduction and enhancement of gas measuring and reporting 7a7 ,in general ,title ,i of the ,federal ,oil and ,gas ,royalty ,management ,act of #aihb 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #agaa et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #aah4 ,gas waste reduction and enhancement of gas measuring and reporting 7a7 ,regulations for preventing and reducing waste of gas via venting1 flaring1 and fugitive releases 7#a7 ,requirement to issue regulations ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of the ,methane ,waste ,prevention ,act of #bjai1 the ,secretary shall issue regulations pursuant to the ,secretary's authority under the ,mineral ,leasing ,act1 the ,federal ,land ,policy and ,management ,act of #aigf1 the ,indian ,mineral ,leasing ,act of #aich1 and other statutes authorizing the ,secretary to regulate oil and gas activities on ,federal land and ,indian lands1 that establish requirements for reducing and preventing the waste of gas1 including by venting1 flaring1 and fugitive releases1 from covered operations4 7#b7 ,content of regulations ,the regulations shall1 with respect to covered operations-- 7,a7 require that1 beginning not later than #c years after the date of enactment of the ,methane ,waste ,prevention ,act of #bjai1 each operator captures at least #he percent of all gas produced in each year from each onshore well that is subject to a mineral leasing law2 7,b7 require that1 beginning not later than #e years after the date of enactment of the ,methane ,waste ,prevention ,act of #bjai1 each operator captures at least #ii percent of all gas produced in each year from each onshore well that is subject to a mineral leasing law2 7,c7 require flaring of gas1 rather than venting1 in all instances in which gas is not captured2 7,d7 require that every application for a permit to drill a production well-- 7i7 demonstrate sufficient infrastructure and capacity is in place to capture the expected quantity of produced gas from the well2 and 7ii7 be published with an opportunity for a public comment period of at least #cj days2 7,e7 beginning not later than #b years after the date of enactment of the ,methane ,waste ,prevention ,act of #bjai1 prohibit all new and refractured production wells from flaring2 7,f7 require the operator of any covered operation that routinely flares gas before the effective date of a regulation prohibiting flaring issued pursuant to subparagraph 7,e7 to submit a gas capture plan to the ,secretary not later than #ahj days before such effective date that ensures that such operator will meet the requirements described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b72 7,g7 set performance standards for newly installed equipment based on modern equipment that minimize gas loss from-- 7i7 storage tanks2 7ii7 dehydrators2 7iii7 compressors2 7iv7 open-ended valves or lines2 7v7 pumps2 and 7vi7 such other equipment as the ,secretary determines appropriate to reduce and prevent gas release2 7,h7 require that operators replace existing equipment within one year of the publication date of performance standards established under subsection 7,g72 7,i7 require the replacement of all high-bleed gas-actuated pneumatic devices with low-bleed or no-bleed devices not later than #ahj days after the date of issuance of the regulation enacted under subparagraph 7,a72 7,j7 set performance standards based on modern procedures and equipment that minimize gas loss from-- 7i7 downhole maintenance2 7ii7 liquids unloading2 7iii7 well completion2 and 7iv7 such other procedures as the ,secretary determines appropriate to reduce and prevent gas release2 7,k7 require all operators to have leak detection programs with regularly scheduled inspections that assess the entire covered operation using an infrared camera or other equipment with methods that provide overall at least equivalent sensitivity and effectiveness in detecting leaks on a timely basis2 7,l7 require any leaks found to be repaired promptly1 and in any case not later than #d weeks after the discovery of the leak1 except where exceptional circumstances warrant an extension of not more than #h additional weeks2 and 7,m7 require recordkeeping for-- 7i7 equipment maintenance2 7ii7 leak detection and repair2 7iii7 venting events2 7iv7 flaring events2 and 7v7 such other operations as the ,secretary determines appropriate to reduce and prevent gas release4 7b7 ,gas measuring1 reporting1 and transparency requirements 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall1 not later than one year after the date of enactment of the ,methane ,waste ,prevention ,act of #bjai1 issue regulations requiring each operator to measure and report1 with respect to all gas subject to the mineral leasing laws1 all such gas produced1 consumed on site1 or lost through venting1 flaring1 or fugitive releases4 7#b7 ,measuring and reporting requirements ,to account for all gas referred to in paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall issue regulations requiring each operator to-- 7,a7 measure all production and disposition of gas with such accuracy that fugitive gas releases can be calculated2 7,b7 install metering devices to measure all flared gas2 and 7,c7 report to the ,secretary the volumes of gas measured under the requirements described in subparagraph 7,a71 including-- 7i7 all new measured values for production and disposition1 including vented and flared volumes2 and 7ii7 values for fugitive releases based on guidelines for their calculation established by the ,secretary in such regulations4 7#c7 ,transparency ,the ,secretary shall make all new data produced under the requirements established by the ,secretary under this subsection1 including calculated fugitive releases and volumes of gas lost to venting and flaring1 publicly available through the internet-- 7,a7 without a fee or other access charge2 7,b7 in a searchable1 sortable1 and downloadable manner1 to the extent technically possible2 and 7,c7 as soon as technically practicable after the report by the operator is filed4 7c7 ,application ,except as otherwise specified in this section1 the requirements established by the ,secretary under this section shall apply to-- 7#a7 the construction and operation of any covered operation initiated1 including the refracturing of existing wells1 on or after the date of the issuance of regulations under this section2 and 7#b7 after the end of the #a-year period beginning on the date of the issuance of such regulations1 any covered operation initiated before the date of the issuance of such regulations4 7d7 ,enforcement mechanisms 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall include in the regulations issued under this section consistent enforcement mechanisms for covered operations that are not in compliance with the requirements established by the regulations4 7#b7 ,requirements ,the ,secretary shall include in the enforcement mechanisms described in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 civil penalties for unauthorized venting and flaring1 which shall-- 7i7 apply in lieu of the penalties and related provisions under section #aji2 and 7ii7 include production restrictions and civil monetary penalties equivalent to #c times the market value of the vented or flared gas2 and 7,b7 civil penalties that apply to noncompliance with other new or existing procedures1 which shall-- 7i7 apply in addition to or in lieu of the penalties and related provisions under section #aji2 7ii7 include production restrictions or monetary penalties1 or both2 and 7iii7 in the case of monetary penalties1 be proportional to market conditions4 7e7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,capture ,the term capture means the physical containment of natural gas for transportation to market or productive use of natural gas1 and includes reinjection and royalty-free on-site uses4 7#b7 ,covered operations ,the term covered operations means all oil and gas operations that are subject to mineral leasing law or title ,v of the ,federal ,land ,policy and ,management ,act of #aigf 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #agfa et seq471 regardless of size1 including production1 storage1 gathering1 processing1 and handling operations4 7#c7 ,flare and flaring ,the terms flare and flaring mean the intentional and controlled burning of gas that occurs in the course of oil and gas operations to limit release of gas to the atmosphere4 7#d7 ,fugitive release ,the term fugitive release means the unintentional and uncontrolled release of gas into the atmosphere in the course of oil and gas operations4 7#e7 ,gas capture plan ,the term gas capture plan means a plan that includes specific goals1 including equipment and timelines1 for capturing1 gathering1 and processing gas produced under an oil or gas lease4 7#f7 ,gas release ,the term gas release includes all gas that is discharged to the atmosphere via venting or fugitive release4 7#g7 ,vent and venting ,the terms vent and venting mean the intentional and controlled release of gas into the atmosphere in the course of oil and gas operations4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents in section #a of such ,act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #aag the following3 ,sec4 #aah4 ,gas waste reduction and enhancement of gas measuring and reporting4 4 7c7 ,updates ,the ,secretary of the ,interior shall update the regulations required by the amendments made by this section when the ,secretary determines appropriate1 but no less frequently than once every ten years1 to reflect new information regarding gas waste1 the impacts of that waste1 and the availability of technologies and performance measures to reduce gas waste4 7d7 ,application of prior rule ,the final rule entitled ,waste ,prevention1 ,production ,subject to ,royalties1 and ,resource ,conservation1 as published in the ,federal ,register ,november #ah1 #bjaf 7#ha ,fed4 ,reg4 #hcjjh71 is hereby reinstated1 and each of its provisions shall apply unless and until the effective date of a subsequent final rule promulgated under the amendment made by subsection 7a71 or promulgated under another applicable authority1 that replaces or repeals such provision4 7e7 ,assessment of venting1 flaring1 and fugitive releases ,not later than #ahj days after the end of the #a-year period beginning on the date the ,secretary of the ,interior first receives data submitted under the requirements established under subsection 7b7 of section #aah of the ,federal ,oil and ,gas ,royalty ,management ,act of #aihb1 as amended by this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 submit a report to ,congress describing-- 7,a7 the volume of fugitive releases1 and gas consumed or lost by venting and flaring1 from covered operations 7as those terms are used in such section72 and 7,b7 additional regulations the ,secretary considers would help further curtail venting1 flaring1 and fugitive releases1 or the rational basis for not issuing such additional regulations if the ,secretary considers additional regulations would not be appropriate to further curtail venting1 flaring1 and fugitive releases2 and 7#b7 issue regulations described in the report required by paragraph 7#a77;,b7 not later than #a year after the date of the submission of the report4