H. R. 6—299
(2) to develop technologies that would directly produce 
concentrated streams of carbon dioxide potentially amenable 
to sequestration; 
(3) to increase the efficiency of the overall system to reduce 
the quantity of carbon dioxide emissions released from the 
system per megawatt generated; and 
(4) in accordance with the carbon dioxide capture program, 
to promote a robust carbon sequestration program and continue 
the work of the Department, in conjunction with the private 
sector, through regional carbon sequestration partnerships. 
(c) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—From 
amounts 
authorized under section 961(b), the following sums are authorized 
for activities described in subsection (a)(2): 
(1) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; 
(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and 
(3) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2008. 
SEC. 964. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR COAL MINING TECH-
NOLOGIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall carry out a program 
for research and development on coal mining technologies. 
(b) COOPERATION.—In carrying out the program, the Secretary 
shall cooperate with appropriate Federal agencies, coal producers, 
trade associations, equipment manufacturers, institutions of higher 
education with mining engineering departments, and other relevant 
entities. 
(c) PROGRAM.—The research and development activities carried 
out under this section shall— 
(1) be guided by the mining research and development 
priorities identified by the Mining Industry of the Future Pro-
gram and in the recommendations from relevant reports of 
the National Academy of Sciences on mining technologies; 
(2) include activities exploring minimization of contami-
nants in mined coal that contribute to environmental concerns 
including development and demonstration of electromagnetic 
wave imaging ahead of mining operations; 
(3) develop and demonstrate coal bed electromagnetic wave 
imaging, spectroscopic reservoir analysis technology, and tech-
niques for horizontal drilling in order to— 
(A) identify areas of high coal gas content; 
(B) increase methane recovery efficiency; 
(C) prevent spoilage of domestic coal reserves; and 
(D) minimize water disposal associated with methane 
extraction; and 
(4) expand mining research capabilities at institutions of 
higher education. 
SEC. 965. OIL AND GAS RESEARCH PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a program of 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application 
of oil and gas, including— 
(1) exploration and production; 
(2) gas hydrates; 
(3) reservoir life and extension; 
(4) transportation and distribution infrastructure; 
(5) ultraclean fuels; 
(6) heavy oil, oil shale, and tar sands; and 
(7) related environmental research.
H. R. 6—300
(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of this program shall include 
advancing the science and technology available to domestic petro-
leum producers, particularly independent operators, to minimize 
the economic dislocation caused by the decline of domestic supplies 
of oil and natural gas resources. 
(c) NATURAL GAS AND OIL DEPOSITS REPORT.—Not later than 
2 years after the date of enactment of this Act and every 2 years 
thereafter, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with other 
appropriate Federal agencies, shall submit to Congress a report 
on the latest estimates of natural gas and oil reserves, reserves 
growth, and undiscovered resources in Federal and State waters 
off the coast of Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi. 
(d) INTEGRATED CLEAN POWER AND ENERGY RESEARCH.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTER.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a national center or consortium of excellence in clean 
energy and power generation, using the resources of the Clean 
Power and Energy Research Consortium in existence on the 
date of enactment of this Act, to address the critical dependence 
of the United States on energy and the need to reduce emis-
sions. 
(2) FOCUS AREAS.—The center or consortium shall conduct 
a program of research, development, demonstration, and 
commercial application on integrating the following 6 focus 
areas: 
(A) Efficiency and reliability of gas turbines for power 
generation. 
(B) Reduction in emissions from power generation. 
(C) Promotion of energy conservation issues. 
(D) Effectively using alternative fuels and renewable 
energy. 
(E) Development of advanced materials technology for 
oil and gas exploration and use in harsh environments. 
(F) Education on energy and power generation issues. 
SEC. 966. LOW-VOLUME OIL AND GAS RESERVOIR RESEARCH PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) DEFINITION OF GIS.—In this section, the term ‘‘GIS’’ means 
geographic information systems technology that facilitates the 
organization and management of data with a geographic component. 
(b) PROGRAM.—The Secretary shall establish a program of 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application 
to maximize the productive capacity of marginal wells and res-
ervoirs. 
(c) DATA COLLECTION.—Under the program, the Secretary shall 
collect data on— 
(1) the status and location of marginal wells and oil and 
gas reservoirs; 
(2) the production capacity of marginal wells and oil and 
gas reservoirs; 
(3) the location of low-pressure gathering facilities and 
pipelines; and 
(4) the quantity of natural gas vented or flared in associa-
tion with crude oil production. 
(d) ANALYSIS.—Under the program, the Secretary shall— 
(1) estimate the remaining producible reserves based on 
variable pipeline pressures; and
H. R. 6—301
(2) recommend measures that will enable the continued 
production of those resources. 
(e) STUDY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may award a grant to 
an organization of States that contain significant numbers of 
marginal oil and natural gas wells to conduct an annual study 
of low-volume natural gas reservoirs. 
(2) ORGANIZATION
WITH
NO
GIS
CAPABILITIES.—If an 
organization receiving a grant under paragraph (1) does not 
have GIS capabilities, the organization shall contract with an 
institution of higher education with GIS capabilities. 
(3) STATE GEOLOGISTS.—The organization receiving a grant 
under paragraph (1) shall collaborate with the State geologist 
of each State being studied. 
(f) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—The Secretary may use the data 
collected and analyzed under this section to produce maps and 
literature to disseminate to States to promote conservation of nat-
ural gas reserves. 
SEC. 967. COMPLEX WELL TECHNOLOGY TESTING FACILITY. 
The Secretary, in coordination with industry leaders in 
extended research drilling technology, shall establish a Complex 
Well Technology Testing Facility at the Rocky Mountain Oilfield 
Testing Center to increase the range of extended drilling tech-
nologies. 
SEC. 968. METHANE HYDRATE RESEARCH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Methane Hydrate Research and Develop-
ment Act of 2000 (30 U.S.C. 1902 note; Public Law 106–193) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This Act may be cited as the ‘Methane Hydrate Research 
and Development Act of 2000’. 
‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
‘‘Congress finds that— 
‘‘(1) in order to promote energy independence and meet 
the increasing demand for energy, the United States will 
require a diversified portfolio of substantially increased quan-
tities of electricity, natural gas, and transportation fuels; 
‘‘(2) according to the report submitted to Congress by the 
National Research Council entitled ‘Charting the Future of 
Methane Hydrate Research in the United States’, the total 
United States resources of gas hydrates have been estimated 
to be on the order of 200,000 trillion cubic feet; 
‘‘(3) according to the report of the National Commission 
on Energy Policy entitled ‘Ending the Energy Stalemate—A 
Bipartisan Strategy to Meet America’s Energy Challenge’, and 
dated December 2004, the United States may be endowed with 
over one-fourth of the methane hydrate deposits in the world; 
‘‘(4) according to the Energy Information Administration, 
a shortfall in natural gas supply from conventional and 
unconventional sources is expected to occur in or about 2020; 
and 
‘‘(5) the National Academy of Sciences states that methane 
hydrate may have the potential to alleviate the projected short-
fall in the natural gas supply.