‘‘(2) $24,150,000 for fiscal year 2021; 
‘‘(3) $25,357,500 for fiscal year 2022; 
‘‘(4) $26,625,375 for fiscal year 2023; and 
‘‘(5) $27,956,644 for fiscal year 2024.’’. 
SEC. 9. METHANE HYDRATE RESEARCH AMENDMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4(b) of the Methane Hy-
drate Research and Development Act of 2000 (30 U.S.C. 
2003(b)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, COOPERATIVE AGREE-
MENTS, INTERAGENCY FUNDS TRANSFER AGREEMENTS, 
AND FIELD WORK PROPOSALS.— 
‘‘(1) ASSISTANCE AND COORDINATION.—In car-
rying out the program of methane hydrate research 
and development authorized by this section, the Sec-
retary may award grants, or enter into contracts or 
cooperative agreements to— 
‘‘(A) conduct research to identify the envi-
ronmental, health, and safety impacts of meth-
ane hydrate development; 
‘‘(B) assess and develop technologies to 
mitigate environmental impacts of the explo-
ration and commercial development of methane 
hydrates as an energy resource, including the 
use of seismic testing, and to reduce the public 
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health and safety risks of drilling through 
methane hydrates; 
‘‘(C) conduct research to assess and miti-
gate the environmental impact of hydrate 
degassing (including natural degassing and 
degassing associated with commercial develop-
ment); or 
‘‘(D) expand education and training pro-
grams in methane hydrate resource research 
and resource development through fellowships 
or other means for graduate education and 
training. 
‘‘(2) ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING
AND
RE-
SEARCH.—The Secretary shall conduct a long-term 
environmental monitoring and research program to 
study the effects of production from methane hy-
drate reservoirs. 
‘‘(3) 
COMPETITIVE
PEER
REVIEW.—Funds 
made available to carry out paragraphs (1) and (2) 
shall be made available based on a competitive proc-
ess using external scientific peer review of proposed 
research.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 4(e) of 
such Act (30 U.S.C. 2003(e)) is amended in the matter 
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preceding paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (b)’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
7 of such Act (30 U.S.C. 2006) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary to carry out this Act $15,000,000, to remain avail-
able until expended, for each of fiscal years 2020 through 
2024.’’. 
SEC. 10. CARBON REMOVAL. 
Subtitle F of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16291 et seq.) is further amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 969C. CARBON REMOVAL. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in coordina-
tion with the appropriate Federal agencies, shall establish 
a research, development, and demonstration program to 
remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on a large 
scale. The program may include activities in— 
‘‘(1) direct air capture and storage technologies; 
‘‘(2) enhanced carbon mineralization; 
‘‘(3) bioenergy with carbon capture and seques-
tration; 
‘‘(4) agricultural and grazing practices; 
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‘‘(5) forest management and afforestation; and 
‘‘(6) planned or managed carbon sinks, includ-
ing natural and artificial. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITIZATION.—In carrying out the program 
established in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
prioritize— 
‘‘(1) the activities described in paragraphs (1) 
and (2) of subsection (a), acting through the Assist-
ant Secretary for Fossil Energy; and 
‘‘(2) the activities described in subsection 
(a)(3), acting through the Assistant Secretary for 
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the 
Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy. 
‘‘(c) CONSIDERATIONS.—The program under this 
section shall identify and develop carbon removal tech-
nologies and strategies that consider the following: 
‘‘(1) Land use changes, including impacts on 
natural and managed ecosystems. 
‘‘(2) Ocean acidification. 
‘‘(3) Net greenhouse gas emissions. 
‘‘(4) Commercial viability. 
‘‘(5) Potential for near-term impact. 
‘‘(6) Potential for carbon reductions on a 
gigaton scale. 
‘‘(7) Economic co-benefits. 
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‘‘(d) ACCOUNTING.—The Department shall collabo-
rate with the Environmental Protection Agency and other 
relevant agencies to develop and improve accounting 
frameworks and tools to accurately measure carbon re-
moval and sequestration methods and technologies across 
the Federal Government. 
‘‘(e) AIR CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY PRIZE.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, as 
part of the program carried out under this section, the 
Secretary shall carry out a program to award competitive 
technology prizes for carbon dioxide capture from ambient 
air or water. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary 
shall— 
‘‘(1) in accordance with section 24 of the Ste-
venson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 
(15 U.S.C. 3719), develop requirements for— 
‘‘(A) the prize competition process; 
‘‘(B) minimum performance standards for 
projects eligible to participate in the prize com-
petition; and 
‘‘(C) monitoring and verification proce-
dures for projects selected to receive a prize 
award; 
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‘‘(2) establish minimum levels for the capture of 
carbon dioxide from ambient air or water that are 
required to qualify for a prize award; and 
‘‘(3) offer prize awards for any of the following: 
‘‘(A) A design for a promising capture 
technology that will— 
‘‘(i) be operated on a demonstration 
scale; and 
‘‘(ii) have the potential to achieve sig-
nificant reduction in the level of carbon di-
oxide in the atmosphere. 
‘‘(B) A successful bench-scale demonstra-
tion of a capture technology. 
‘‘(C) An operational capture technology on 
a commercial scale. 
‘‘(f) DIRECT AIR CAPTURE TEST CENTER.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Fossil Energy Research 
and Development Act of 2019, the Secretary shall 
award grants to one or more eligible entities for the 
operation of one or more test centers (in this sub-
section, known as ‘Centers’) to provide unique test-
ing capabilities for innovative direct air capture and 
storage technologies. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—Each Center shall— 
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‘‘(A) advance research, development, dem-
onstration, and commercial application of direct 
air capture and storage technologies; 
‘‘(B) support pilot plant and full-scale 
demonstration projects and test technologies 
that represent the scale of technology develop-
ment beyond laboratory testing but not yet ad-
vanced to test under operational conditions at 
commercial scale; 
‘‘(C) develop front-end engineering design 
and economic analysis; and 
‘‘(D) maintain a public record of pilot and 
full-scale plant performance. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITY CRITERIA.—In selecting applica-
tions to operate a Center under this subsection, the 
Secretary shall prioritize applicants that— 
‘‘(A) have access to existing or planned re-
search facilities; 
‘‘(B) are institutions of higher education 
with established expertise in engineering for di-
rect air capture technologies, or partnerships 
with such institutions; or 
‘‘(C) have access to existing research and 
test facilities for bulk materials design and test-
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ing, component design and testing, or profes-
sional engineering design. 
‘‘(4) SCHEDULE.—Each grant to operate a 
Center under this subsection shall be awarded for a 
term of not more than 5 years, subject to the avail-
ability of appropriations. The Secretary may renew 
such 5-year term without limit, subject to a rigorous 
merit review. 
‘‘(5) TERMINATION.—To the extent otherwise 
authorized by law, the Secretary may eliminate the 
center during any 5-year term described in the last 
paragraph if it is underperforming. 
‘‘(g) LARGE-SCALE
PILOTS
AND
DEMONSTRA-
TIONS.—In supporting the technology development activi-
ties under this section, the Secretary is encouraged to sup-
port carbon removal pilot and demonstration projects, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(1) pilot projects that test direct air capture 
systems capable of capturing 10 to 100 tonnes of 
carbon oxides per year to provide data for dem-
onstration-scale projects; and 
‘‘(2) direct air capture demonstration projects 
capable of capturing greater than 1,000 tonnes of 
carbon oxides per year. 
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‘‘(h) INTRA-AGENCY RESEARCH.—In carrying out 
the program established in (a), the Secretary shall encour-
age and promote collaborations among relevant offices and 
agencies within the Department. 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For ac-
tivities under this section, there are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) 
$75,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020, 
$15,000,000 of which are authorized to carry out 
subsection (e); 
‘‘(2) $63,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 
‘‘(3) $66,150,000 for fiscal year 2022; 
‘‘(4) $69,458,000 for fiscal year 2023; and 
‘‘(5) $72,930,000 for fiscal year 2024.’’. 
SEC. 11. METHANE LEAK DETECTION AND MITIGATION. 
Subtitle F of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16291 et seq.) is further amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 969D. METHANE LEAK DETECTION AND MITIGATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency and other appropriate Federal agencies, shall 
carry out a program of methane leak detection and mitiga-
tion research, development, demonstration, and commer-
cial application for technologies and methods that signifi-
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cantly reduce emissions. In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) develop cooperative agreements with State 
or local governments or private entities to provide 
technical assistance to— 
‘‘(A) prevent or respond to methane leaks, 
including detection, mitigation, and identifica-
tion of leaks throughout the natural gas infra-
structure (which includes natural gas storage, 
pipelines, and natural gas production sites); and 
‘‘(B) protect public health in the event of 
a major methane leak; 
‘‘(2) promote demonstration and adoption of ef-
fective methane emissions-reduction technologies in 
the private sector; 
‘‘(3) in coordination with representatives from 
private industry, State and local governments, and 
institutions of higher education, create a publicly ac-
cessible resource for best practices in the design, 
construction, maintenance, performance, monitoring, 
and incident response for— 
‘‘(A) pipeline systems; 
‘‘(B) wells; 
‘‘(C) compressor stations; 
‘‘(D) storage facilities; and 
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‘‘(E) other vulnerable infrastructure; 
‘‘(4) identify high-risk characteristics of pipe-
lines, wells, and materials, geologic risk factors, or 
other key factors that increase the likelihood of 
methane leaks; and 
‘‘(5) in collaboration with private entities and 
institutions of higher education, quantify and map 
significant geologic methane seeps across the United 
States. 
‘‘(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out the pro-
gram under this section, the Secretary shall consider the 
following: 
‘‘(1) Historical data of methane leaks. 
‘‘(2) Public health consequences. 
‘‘(3) Public safety. 
‘‘(4) Novel materials and designs for pipelines, 
compressor stations, components, and wells (includ-
ing casing, cement, wellhead). 
‘‘(5) Regional geologic traits. 
‘‘(6) Induced and natural seismicity. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For ac-
tivities under this section, there are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; 
‘‘(2) $23,100,000 for fiscal year 2021; 
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