,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #geb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #bh1 #bjbe,mr4 ,casten introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to provide for methane emission detection and mitigation1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,methane ,emissions ,mitigation ,research and ,development ,act4 #b4 ,methane emission detection and mitigation 7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,f of title ,,ix of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #afbia et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #ifi;,e4 ,methane leak detection and mitigation 7a7 ,technical assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 the ,secretary of ,commerce1 and the heads of other appropriate ,federal agencies1 shall carry out a program of methane emissions detection and mitigation research1 development1 and demonstration for technologies and methods that significantly detect1 quantify1 and mitigate methane emissions4 ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 enter into cooperative agreements with ,state or local governments1 institutions of higher education1 or for-profit entities to provide technical assistance to-- 7i7 prevent or respond to methane releases1 including prediction1 detection1 mitigation1 quantification1 and identification of leaks1 vents1 and other outflows throughout the natural gas infrastructure 7including natural gas storage1 pipelines1 and natural gas production sites72 and 7ii7 protect public health in the event of a major methane release2 7,b7 in coordination with representatives from private sector entities1 ,state and local governments1 and institutions of higher education1 establish a publicly accessible resource for best practices in the design1 construction1 maintenance1 performance1 monitoring1 and incident response for-- 7i7 pipeline systems1 including compressor stations2 7ii7 production wells2 7iii7 storage facilities2 and 7iv7 other vulnerable infrastructure2 7,c7 in coordination with representatives from private sector entities1 ,state and local governments1 and institutions of higher education1 establish a publicly accessible resource for best practices in evaluation and incorporation of emission reduction technologies1 including-- 7i7 metrics for performance evaluation2 and 7ii7 principles for selection and integration of emission reduction technologies that are best suited for the project or entity concerned2 7,d7 support research of technologies to more accurately quantify emissions1 including-- 7i7 the ability to accurately characterize and measure methane emissions through various atmospheric conditions such as wind1 rain1 fog1 and dust2 7ii7 improvements to data analytics and machine learning platforms2 7iii7 the ability to characterize temporal patterns in emissions1 such as through continuous monitoring or multitiered system practices2 7iv7 improvements to high-resolution spectroscopic databases of methane2 7v7 the ability to remotely detect carbon and ethane isotopes to facilitate attribution of sources of methane emissions2 and 7vi7 improvements to ,lidar detection technologies2 7,e7 identify high-risk characteristics of pipelines1 wells1 storage facilities1 and materials1 geologic risk factors1 or other key factors that increase the likelihood or intensity of methane emissions leaks2 7,f7 identify methane mitigation methods and technologies in coal mines2 and 7,g7 in collaboration with private sector entities and institutions of higher education1 quantify and map significant geologic methane seeps and other sources of natural emissions across the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,considerations ,in carrying out the program under this section1 the ,secretary shall consider the following3 7,a7 ,historical data of methane emissions4 7,b7 ,public health consequences4 7,c7 ,public safety4 7,d7 ,novel materials and designs for pipelines1 compressor stations1 components1 and wells 7including casing1 cement1 and wellhead74 7,e7 ,regional geologic traits4 7,f7 ,induced and natural seismicity4 7b7 ,methane leak detection consortium 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall establish and operate a ,methane ,emissions ,measurement and ,mitigation ,research ,consortium 7in this section referred to as the ,consortium7 for the purpose of supporting1 to the maximum extent practicable1 data sharing1 research prioritization1 and researching cooperative leak detection and repair strategies pertaining to methane emissions detection1 quantification1 and mitigation4 7#b7 ,membership ,the members of the ,consortium shall be representatives from the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology1 other relevant ,federal agencies1 ,national ,laboratories1 oil and gas operators and industry groups1 vendors of methane detection and quantification technologies1 institutions of higher education1 community organizations1 relevant nongovernmental organizations1 and other entities4 7#c7 ,responsibilities ,the ,consortium shall develop and implement a multiyear plan that-- 7,a7 identifies technical goals and milestones for the ,consortium2 and 7,b7 facilitates data sharing for the purposes of-- 7i7 bettering the understanding of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector2 7ii7 improving emissions detection1 measurement1 and mitigation capabilities1 including assessing multi-tiered atmospheric measurements2 and 7iii7 improving the understanding of methane quantification data analytics and machine learning platforms1 including for calibration of measurements4 7#d7 ,reporting 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall report on the ,consortium's activities to the appropriate congressional committees4 7,b7 ,initial report ,not later than #ah months after the date of the enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report summarizing the activities1 findings1 and progress of the program under this section4 ,the report shall include the following3 7i7 ,a review of ,,ldar technologies available to the oil and gas sector for the purpose of methane emissions measurement and mitigation4 7ii7 ,a summary of research gaps and priorities related to methane emissions detection1 measurement1 and mitigation capabilities4 7iii7 ,a description of the data sharing and cooperative activities that have been initiated pursuant to paragraph 7#c77;,b74 7,c7 ,annual report ,not later than #a year after the date on which the report under subparagraph 7,b7 is submitted and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report summarizing the activities1 findings1 and progress of the program under this section4 ,the report shall include the following3 7i7 ,an updated review of ,,ldar technologies available to oil and gas operators for the purpose of methane emissions measurement and mitigation4 7ii7 ,a description of the state of methane emissions detection and measurement capabilities4 7iii7 ,a summary of research priorities relating to methane emissions detection1 measurement1 and mitigation4 7iv7 ,an update on the data sharing and cooperative activities undertaken by members of the ,consortium4 7#e7 ,sunset2 termination 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may provide support to the ,consortium for a period of not more than ten years1 subject to the availability of appropriations4 7,b7 ,merit review ,not later than #e years after the date on which the ,consortium is established1 the ,secretary shall conduct a review to determine whether the ,consortium has achieved the technical goals and milestones identified under paragraph 7#c77;,a74 7#f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7,a7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources of the ,senate4 7,b7 ,,ldar ,the term ,,ldar means a technology1 program1 or activity that is intended to monitor1 detect1 measure1 or repair methane leaks4 7,c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,energy4 7#g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this section the following3 7,a7 #cf1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbf4 7,b7 #ch1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbg4 7,c7 #dj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbh4 7,d7 #db1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbi4 7,e7 #dd1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjcj4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents in section #a7;b7 of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to subtitle ,f of title ,,ix of such ,act the following new item3 ,sec4 #ifi;,e4 ,methane leak detection and mitigation4 4 7c7 ,national facilities for testing and intercalibration program relating to methane 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act and subject to the availability of appropriations1 the ,secretary of ,commerce1 in consultation with the ,secretary of ,energy and the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 shall establish a program through the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology's ,center for ,greenhouse ,gas ,measurements1 ,standards1 and ,information established pursuant to section #ajbbb of the ,research and ,development1 ,competition1 and ,innovation ,act 7,public ,law #aag-afg2 #db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahicb7 that establishes national facilities to advance methane detection1 quantification1 and relevant standards and supporting methods for testing and intercalibration of methane measurements and the publication and maintenance of standards for such measurements4 7#b7 ,responsibilities ,the facilities established under paragraph 7#a7 shall facilitate detection and quantification of carbon1 carbon isotopes1 methane1 ethane1 and gases associated with such sources1 provide high-resolution spectroscopic reference data advancing accuracy of remote sensing technologies1 develop methods relating methane concentration observations to the associated emission fluxes1 and facilitate the rapid performance testing of existing and new technologies for the measurement of methane emissions1 including testing conditions with a wide range of the following3 7,a7 ,sizes and extents of emission sources4 7,b7 ,geographic diversity4 7,c7 ,temporal characteristics4 7,d7 ,diversity of atmospheric conditions1 such as wind1 rain1 fog1 clouds1 and dust4 7,e7 ,diversity of observing platforms4 7,f7 ,quantification of atmospheric emission plumes4 7#c7 ,annual report ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,commerce shall submit to ,congress a report summarizing the activities1 findings1 and progress of the program established under paragraph 7#a74 7#d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary of ,commerce to carry out this section the following3 7,a7 #ae1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbf4 7,b7 #ag1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbg4 7,c7 #ai1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbh4 7,d7 #ba1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbi4 7,e7 #bc1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjcj and each fiscal year thereafter4