,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #ead  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #aa1      
#bjbe,mr4 ,lankford introduced the      
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,environment and ,public ,works  ,a     
,,bill  ,to amend the ,clean ,air ,act  
to modify the ,methane ,emissions       
,reduction ,program1 and for other      
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,methane ,emissions 
,reduction ,program ,clarifications ,act
 of #bjbe or the ,,merp ,clarifications 
,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,methane emissions  
and waste reduction incentive program   
for petroleum and natural gas systems   
7a7 ,amendments ,section #acf of the    
,clean ,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdcf7  
is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7f71 by 
adding at the end the following3  7#h7  
,exemption for small upstream producers 
7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator may
 not1 pursuant to any requirement under 
this section1 impose a reporting        

requirement or a charge under this      
section on an applicable facility       
described in subparagraph 7,b74  7,b7   
,applicable facilities described ,an    
applicable facility referred to in      
subparagraphs 7,a71 7,c71 and 7,d7 is an
 applicable facility that1 as of ,august
 #af1 #bjbb-- 7i7 was generating less   
than #be1jjj metric tons of carbon      
dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases  
emitted per year2 and  7ii7 had #b1ejj  
or fewer full-time employees4  7,c7 ,no 
requirement to demonstrate ,the         
,administrator may not impose a         
requirement that an applicable facility 
described in subparagraph 7,b7          
demonstrate to the ,administrator that  
the applicable facility meets the       
requirements described in that          
subparagraph4  7,d7 ,notification  7i7  
,notice to facility ,not later than #fj 
days after the date of enactment of this
 paragraph1 the ,administrator shall    
provide written notice to each          
applicable facility described in        

subparagraph 7,b7 that the applicable   
facility is not subject to the reporting
 requirements or charges imposed under  
this section4  7ii7 ,publication ,the   
,administrator shall communicate        
publicly 7including through press       
releases and messages on the website of 
the ,environmental ,protection ,agency7 
that the applicable facilities described
 in subparagraph 7,b7 are not subject to
 the reporting requirements or charges  
imposed under this section4  7#i7       
,exemption for certain producers        
,notwithstanding any other requirement  
of this section1 the ,administrator may 
not impose a charge under this section  
on an applicable facility during any    
period in which the applicable          
facility-- 7,a7 complies with subpart   
,o,o,o,ob and ,o,o,o,oc1 as applicable1 
of part #fj of title #dj1 ,code of      
,federal ,regulations 7or successor     
regulations72 and  7,b7 is located in a 
,state in compliance with the applicable
 ,state implementation plan required    

under subpart ,o,o,o,oc of that part 7or
 successor regulations74  2  7#b7 by    
striking subsection 7g7 and inserting   
the following3  7g7 ,period ,the        
,administrator may not impose or collect
 the charge under subsection 7c7 until  
,january #a of the first calendar year  
that begins after the date on which the 
,administrator submits to the ,committee
 on ,environment and ,public ,works of  
the ,senate and the ,committee on       
,energy and ,commerce of the ,house of  
,representatives a written notice that  
each of the following requirements has  
been met for a period of not less than  
#a year before that ,january #a3 7#a7   
,the grants authorized under subsections
 7a7 and 7b7 have been fully disbursed  
to all eligible recipients4  7#b7 ,the  
revisions to subpart ,w of part #ih of  
title #dj1 ,code of ,federal            
,regulations1 that are required under   
this section-- 7,a7 ensure the use of   
emissions factors that have been        
validated by the ,administrator and     

posted to the website of the            
,administrator2 and  7,b7 have been     
finalized4  2  7#c7 by redesignating    
subsection 7i7 as subsection 7k72  7#d7 
by inserting after subsection 7h7 the   
following3  7i7 ,public comment period  
,except as provided in section #b7;c7 of
 the ,,merp ,clarifications ,act of     
#bjbe1 any proposed regulation1 rule1   
guidance1 or directive with respect to  
the implementation of this section from 
the ,administrator1 the ,executive      
,office of the ,president1 or another   
,federal agency shall1 consistent with  
subchapter ,,ii of chapter #e1 and      
chapter #g1 of title #e1 ,united ,states
 ,code 7commonly known as the           
,administrative ,procedure ,act71 be    
subject to a period of public comment of
 not less than #ij days4  7j7 ,dispute  
resolution procedure ,not later than #fj
 days after the date of enactment of    
this subsection1 the ,administrator     
shall1 consistent with subchapter ,,ii  
of chapter #e1 and chapter #g1 of title 

#e1 ,united ,states ,code 7commonly     
known as the ,administrative ,procedure 
,act71 propose a rule establishing an   
expedited process for an applicable     
facility to appeal or dispute the amount
 of a charge imposed under this section 
that is separate and apart from any     
other such process under this ,act4  2  
and  7#e7 by adding at the end the      
following3  7l7 ,sunset  7#a7           
,termination of effectiveness ,the      
authority provided under this section   
terminates on ,december #ca1 #bjcd4     
7#b7 ,continued imposition of waste     
charge  7,a7 ,in general ,if this       
section is not reauthorized by ,december
 #ca1 #bjcd1 the ,administrator shall   
immediately cease all activities with   
respect to the imposition of the charge 
under this section4  7,b7 ,enforcement  
7i7 ,in general ,if the ,administrator  
or the head of any other applicable     
,federal agency carries out any         
authority under this section after the  
date described in subparagraph 7,a71 a  

party that suffers likely harm from the 
carrying out of that authority may seek 
financial compensation from the ,federal
 ,government in the appropriate ,federal
 district court4  7ii7 ,expedited relief
 ,a ,federal district court shall       
expedite the consideration of an action 
described in clause 7i7 brought by the  
owner of an applicable facility with    
#b1ejj or fewer full-time employees4    
7#c7 ,rescission ,on ,december #ca1     
#bjcd1 there is rescinded the           
unobligated balance of amounts made     
available under subsections 7a7 and 7b7 
as of that date4  4  7b7 ,description of
 requirements and calculations  7#a7 ,in
 general ,not later than #fj days after 
the date of enactment of this ,act1 the 
,administrator of the ,environmental    
,protection ,agency 7referred to in this
 section as the ,administrator7 shall   
make publicly available1 including on   
the website of the ,environmental       
,protection ,agency1 an ,administrator's
 ,order that includes the following     

information3 7,a7 ,consistent with the  
,plain ,writing ,act of #bjaj 7#e       
,u4,s4,c4 #cja note2 ,public ,law       
#aaa-bgd7 and ,executive ,orders #abhff 
7#e ,u4,s4,c4 #fja note2 relating to    
regulatory planning and review71 #abihh 
7#bh ,u4,s4,c4 #eai note2 relating to   
civil justice reform71 and #acefc 7#e   
,u4,s4,c4 #fja note2 relating to        
improving regulation and regulatory     
review71 an easily understandable       
explanation of-- 7i7 the methods used   
for calculating1 for purposes of section
 #acf of the ,clean ,air ,act 7#db      
,u4,s4,c4 #gdcf7-- 7,i7 the carbon      
dioxide equivalent of greenhouse gases  
emitted2  7,,ii7 methane intensity2 and 
7,,iii7 other emissions factors2 and    
7ii7 the key calculations necessary to  
understand the requirements of the      
program under that section1 including   
the conversion from carbon dioxide      
emissions to methane emissions necessary
 for determining the amount of the      
charge imposed and collected under that 

section4  7,b7 ,the methods and         
mechanisms 7including the methods and   
mechanisms described in subparagraph    
7,a77i71 as applicable7 used to         
calculate1 for each category described  
in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#i7 of      
subsection 7d7 of that section1 the     
charge imposed and collected pursuant to
 subsection 7c7 of that section4  7,c7  
,with respect to the development of any 
information described in subparagraphs  
7,a77i7 and 7,b7-- 7i7 a list of the    
names1 including titles1 occupations1   
and biographies1 of all consultants     
7including international and domestic   
consultants7 that assisted in that      
development2  7ii7 7,i7 a list of the   
academic institutions 7including any    
international and domestic academic     
institutions7 that assisted in that     
development2 and  7,,ii7 points of      
contact for each such academic          
institution2  7iii7 7,i7 a list of the  
nongovernmental institutions 7including 
any international and domestic          

nongovernmental institutions7 that      
assisted in that development2 and       
7,,ii7 points of contact for each such  
nongovernmental institution2 and  7iv7 a
 list of any other organizations the    
resources or personnel of which were    
used in any way in that development4    
7,d7 ,a description1 including citations
 and hyperlinks1 of all studies used by 
the ,administrator to develop the       
information described in subparagraphs  
7,a77i7 and 7,b74  7,e7 ,a summary of   
all other information collected and used
 by the ,administrator to develop the   
information described in subparagraphs  
7,a77i7 and 7,b74  7#b7 ,requirements   
,in carrying out paragraph 7#a71 the    
,administrator shall1 in consultation   
with the owners and operators of        
applicable facilities 7as defined in    
section #acf7;d7 of the ,clean ,air ,act
 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdcf7;d77 with fewer   
than #b1ejj full-time employees1 ensure 
that the documentation required under   
that paragraph will allow operators     

subject to a reporting requirement or   
charge under section #acf of the ,clean 
,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdcf7 to      
clearly understand the reporting        
requirements and calculations required  
under that section4  7c7 ,rulemaking    
requirements ,except as otherwise       
provided in this section or an amendment
 made by this section1 any proposed     
regulation1 rule1 guidance1 or other    
document required under this section or 
an amendment made by this section shall 
be subject to1 as applicable-- 7#a7     
except as provided for in paragraph     
7#b71 the notice and comment provisions 
of section #eec of title #e1 ,united    
,states ,code2 and  7#b7 a public       
comment period of not less than #abj    
days4