“To provide for methane emission detection and mitigation, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a Department of Energy (DOE) program, in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Secretary of Commerce, and other agencies, to conduct research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods to detect, quantify, and mitigate methane emissions, including through cooperative agreements for technical assistance on natural gas infrastructure leaks and public health protection; publicly accessible best-practices resources for infrastructure design, maintenance, and emission-reduction technologies; research to improve emissions quantification (e.g., under varying atmospheric conditions, via data analytics, continuous monitoring, spectroscopy, isotopes, and Lidar); identification of high-risk infrastructure factors; coal mine mitigation methods; and mapping of geologic methane seeps. The section further directs DOE to establish, not later than one year after enactment, the Methane Emissions Measurement and Mitigation Research Consortium—including representatives from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), other agencies, national laboratories, industry, academia, and community organizations—to develop a multiyear plan for research goals, data sharing, and leak detection strategies, with reporting to congressional committees and an initial report not later than 18 months after enactment reviewing leak detection and repair technologies, research gaps, and data-sharing activities.