Title: FLARE Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Fuel Loss Abatement and Royalty Enhancement Act or the FLARE Act
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to (1) ban the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas production operations on federal land onshore and offshore in the United States, with specified exceptions; and (2) promote the capture and beneficial use or reinjection of gas in such operations.
The bill also requires oil and gas companies to pay royalties on gas that is vented or flared pursuant to this bill.
The Government Accountability Office must assess such venting and flaring and estimate the volume of gas vented or flared in such operations each year.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2818 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2818

 To require the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations to ban 
the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas production operations in 
               the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 7, 2019

  Mr. Markey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations to ban 
the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas production operations in 
               the United States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fuel Loss Abatement and Royalty 
Enhancement Act'' or the ``FLARE Act''.

SEC. 2. REGULATIONS TO BAN VENTING AND FLARING OF GAS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall issue 
regulations under this Act--
            (1) to ban the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas 
        production operations on Federal land onshore and offshore in 
        the United States, with the exception of--
                    (A) de minimis venting and flaring; and
                    (B) venting and flaring that the Secretary 
                determines is required for safety; and
            (2) to promote the capture and beneficial use or 
        reinjection of gas in the operations referred to in paragraph 
        (1).
    (b) Royalties.--A regulation issued under this section shall 
include provisions that treat gas that is flared or vented in 
operations under a lease under this Act as production for which royalty 
is required to be paid to the United States.

SEC. 3. ASSESSMENT OF VENTING AND FLARING OF GAS IN PRODUCTION 
              OPERATIONS IN UNITED STATES.

    Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
            (1) assess the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas 
        production operations on Federal land onshore and offshore in 
        the United States; and
            (2) submit to Congress a report on the venting and flaring 
        of gas in oil and gas production operations on Federal land 
        onshore and offshore in the United States, including an 
        estimate of the volume of gas that is vented or flared in such 
        operations each year.

SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.

    The Secretary of the Interior shall issue regulations that define 
the terms ``vent'', ``venting'', ``flare'', and ``flaring'' for 
purposes of this Act.
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