Methane Hydrate Research and Development Amendments Act of 2015

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Methane Hydrate Research and 
Development Amendments Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE METHANE HYDRATE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT 
              OF 2000.

    (a) Findings.--Section 2 of the Methane Hydrate Research and 
Development Act of 2000 (30 U.S.C. 2001) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that may be 
        exchanged between terrestrial methane hydrate reservoirs and 
        the atmosphere by natural or anthropogenic processes; and
            ``(7) the short- and long-term release of methane from 
        arctic or marine reservoirs may have significant environmental 
        effects, including global climate change.''.
    (b) Methane Hydrate Research and Development Program.--
            (1) In general.--Section 4 of the Methane Hydrate Research 
        and Development Act of 2000 (30 U.S.C. 2003) is amended by 
        striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:
    ``(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 to, or enter 
        into contracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions 
        that--
                    ``(A) conduct basic and applied research to 
                identify, explore, assess, and develop methane hydrate 
                as a commercially viable source of energy;
                    ``(B) identify and characterize methane hydrate 
                resources using remote sensing and seismic data, 
                including the characterization of hydrate 
                concentrations in marine reservoirs in the Gulf of 
                Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean Basin by the date that is 
                4 years after the date of enactment of the Methane 
                Hydrate Research and Development Amendments Act of 
                2015;
                    ``(C) develop technologies required for efficient 
                and environmentally sound development of methane 
                hydrate resources;
                    ``(D) conduct basic and applied research to assess 
                and mitigate the environmental impact of hydrate 
                degassing (including natural degassing and degassing 
                associated with commercial development);
                    ``(E) develop technologies to reduce the risks of 
                drilling through methane hydrates;
                    ``(F) conduct exploratory drilling, well testing, 
                and production testing operations on permafrost and 
                nonpermafrost gas hydrates in support of the activities 
                authorized by this paragraph, including--
                            ``(i) drilling of a test well and 
                        performing a long-term hydrate production test 
                        on land in the United States Arctic region by 
                        the date that is 4 years after the date of 
                        enactment of the Methane Hydrate Research and 
                        Development Amendments Act of 2015;
                            ``(ii) drilling of a test well and 
                        performing a long-term hydrate production test 
                        in a marine environment by the date that is 10 
                        years after the date of enactment of the 
                        Methane Hydrate Research and Development 
                        Amendments Act of 2015; and
                            ``(iii) drilling a full-scale production 
                        test well at a location to be determined by the 
                        Secretary; or
                    ``(G) expand education and training programs in 
                methane hydrate resource research and resource 
                development through fellowships or other means for 
                graduate education and training.
            ``(2) Environmental monitoring.--The Secretary shall 
        conduct a long-term environmental monitoring program to study 
        the effects of production from methane hydrate reservoirs.
            ``(3) Competitive peer review.--Funds made available under 
        paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be made available based on a 
        competitive process using external scientific peer review of 
        proposed research.''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 4(e) of the Methane 
        Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 (30 U.S.C. 
        2003(e)) is amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by 
        striking ``subsection (b)(1)'' and inserting ``paragraphs (1) 
        and (2) of subsection (b)''.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--The Methane Hydrate Research 
and Development Act of 2000 is amended by striking section 7 (30 U.S.C. 
2006) and inserting the following:

``SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such 
sums as are necessary to carry out this Act.''.

Summary: Methane Hydrate Research and Development Amendments Act of 2015 This bill amends the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 to revise and reauthorize the Department of Energy's (DOE) program of methane hydrate research and development. In carrying out the program, DOE may award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions that: (1) drill a test well and perform a long-term hydrate production test on land in the US Arctic region within 4 years, (2) drill a test well and perform a long-term hydrate production test in a marine environment within 10 years, or (3) drill a full-scale production test well at a location to be determined by DOE. DOE must conduct a long-term environmental monitoring program to study the effects of production from methane hydrate reservoirs.