I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3227 
To require the Secretary of Defense to carry out the Direct Air Capture 
and Blue Carbon Removal Technology Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2019 
Mr. BEYER (for himself, Mr. SCHWEIKERT, and Mr. BROWN of Maryland) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Defense to carry out the Direct 
Air Capture and Blue Carbon Removal Technology Pro-
gram, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Securing Energy for 
our Armed Forces Using Engineering Leadership Act of 
2019’’ or the ‘‘SEA FUEL Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. DIRECT AIR CAPTURE AND BLUE CARBON RE-
MOVAL TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 
coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of such 
other Federal agencies as the Secretary of Defense 
considers appropriate, shall carry out a program on 
research, development, testing, evaluation, study, 
and demonstration of technologies related to blue 
carbon capture and direct air capture. 
(2) PROGRAM GOALS.—The goals of the pro-
gram established under paragraph (1) are as follows: 
(A) To develop technologies that capture 
carbon dioxide from seawater and the air to 
turn such carbon dioxide into clean fuels to en-
hance fuel and energy security. 
(B) To develop and demonstrate tech-
nologies that capture carbon dioxide from sea-
water and the air to reuse such carbon dioxide 
to create products for military uses. 
(C) To develop direct air capture tech-
nologies for use— 
(i) at military installations or facilities 
of the Department of Defense; or 
(ii) in modes of transportation by the 
Navy or the Coast Guard. 
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(3) PHASES.—The program established under 
paragraph (1) shall be carried out in two phases as 
follows: 
(A) The first phase shall consist of re-
search and development and shall be carried out 
as described in subsection (b). 
(B) The second phase shall consist of test-
ing and evaluation and shall be carried out as 
described in subsection (c), if the Secretary de-
termines that the results of the research and 
development phase justify implementing the 
testing and evaluation phase. 
(4) DESIGNATION.—The program established 
under paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘‘Direct 
Air Capture and Blue Carbon Removal Technology 
Program’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Pro-
gram’’). 
(b) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PHASE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the research and de-
velopment phase of the Program, the Secretary of 
Defense shall conduct research and development in 
pursuit of the goals set forth in subsection (a)(2). 
(2) DIRECT AIR CAPTURE.—The research and 
development phase of the Program may include, with 
respect to direct air capture, a front end engineering 
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and design study that includes an evaluation of di-
rect air capture designs to produce fuel for use— 
(A) at military installations or facilities of 
the Department of Defense; or 
(B) in modes of transportation by the 
Navy or the Coast Guard. 
(3) DURATION.—The Secretary shall carry out 
the research and development phase of the Program 
during a four-year period commencing not later than 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(4) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may 
carry out the research and development phase of the 
Program through the award of grants to private en-
tities and eligible laboratories. 
(5) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the completion of the research 
and development phase of the Program, the Sec-
retary shall submit to Congress a report on the re-
search and development carried out under the Pro-
gram. 
(6) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the research and development phase of the Pro-
gram— 
(A) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and 
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(B) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2021 through 2023. 
(c) TESTING AND EVALUATION PHASE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During the testing and eval-
uation phase of the Program, the Secretary shall, in 
pursuit of the goals set forth in subsection (a)(2), 
conduct tests and evaluations of the technologies re-
searched and developed during the research and de-
velopment phase of the Program. 
(2) DIRECT
AIR
CAPTURE.—The testing and 
evaluation phase of the Program may include dem-
onstration projects for direct air capture to produce 
fuel for use— 
(A) at military installations or facilities of 
the Department of Defense; or 
(B) in modes of transportation by the 
Navy or the Coast Guard. 
(3) 
DURATION.—Subject 
to 
subsection 
(a)(3)(B), the Secretary shall carry out the testing 
and evaluation phase of the Program during the 
three-year period commencing on the date of the 
completion of the research and development phase 
described in subsection (b), except that the testing 
and evaluation phase of the Program with respect to 
direct air capture may commence at such time after 
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a front end engineering and design study dem-
onstrates to the Secretary that commencement of 
such phase is appropriate. 
(4) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary may 
carry out the testing and evaluation phase of the 
Program through the award of grants to private en-
tities and eligible laboratories. 
(5) LOCATIONS.—The Secretary shall carry out 
the testing and evaluation phase of the Program at 
military installations or facilities of the Department 
of Defense. 
(6) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than Sep-
tember 30, 2026, the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress a report on the findings of the Secretary with 
respect to the effectiveness of the technologies tested 
and evaluated under the Program. 
(7) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the testing and evaluation phase of the Program 
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 
2026. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) BLUE CARBON CAPTURE.—The term ‘‘blue 
carbon capture’’ means the removal of dissolved car-
bon dioxide from seawater through engineered or in-
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organic processes, including filters, membranes, or 
phase change systems. 
(2) DIRECT AIR CAPTURE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘direct air 
capture’’, with respect to a facility, technology, 
or system, means that the facility, technology, 
or system uses carbon capture equipment to 
capture carbon dioxide directly from the air. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—The term ‘‘direct air 
capture’’ does not include any facility, tech-
nology, or system that captures carbon diox-
ide— 
(i) that is deliberately released from a 
naturally occurring subsurface spring; or 
(ii) using natural photosynthesis. 
(3) ELIGIBLE LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble laboratory’’ means— 
(A) a National Laboratory (as defined in 
section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 15801)); or 
(B) a laboratory of the Department of De-
fense. 
Æ 
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