119-hr1217

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1217 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1217

 To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to address measuring methane 
 emissions, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 11, 2025

 Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania (for himself and Mr. Deluzio) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to address measuring methane 
 emissions, 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 ``Orphan Well Grant Flexibility Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. PRE-PLUGGING METHANE EMISSIONS FOR GRANT ELIGIBILITY.

 

Section 349 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15907) is 
amended--

    (1) in subsection
            (c) (2) , by adding at the end the 
 following:
 ``
            (C) Activities not required.--Nothing in this 
 section requires a State to measure methane emissions 
 or conduct other activities described in subparagraph
        (A) , which are activities a State may conduct but is 
 not required to conduct, as a condition of eligibility 
 for a grant under this subsection.''; and

    (2) in subsection

    (f)

    (2) , in the matter preceding 
 subparagraph
        (A) , by inserting ``, which may include estimates 
 derived from pre-plugging or post-plugging monitoring data that 
 States may, but are not required to, collect using funding from 
 grants awarded under this section,'' after ``estimate''.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL ACADEMIES STUDY ON COMMUNITY IMPACT OF ORPHANED WELL 
 GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Study.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall--

    (1) seek to enter into an agreement with the National 
 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which 
 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 
 shall carry out a study on the effect of the plugging and 
 remediation activity conducted under 

section 349 of the Energy 
 Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15907) on economic development, 
 housing trends, and other potential benefits (such as 
 improvements in water quality) in areas where the plugging and 
 remediation activity conducted under that section reclaimed a 
 high number of sites, as determined by the National Academies 
 of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and

    (2) to the maximum extent practicable, provide the National 
 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine with 
 information necessary to carry out the study described in 
 paragraph

    (1) .

    (b) Key Inputs.--The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
and Medicine shall ensure that at least 1 State from each region of the 
United States (Northeast, Southwest, West, Southeast, and Midwest) 
shall be key inputs to the study carried out under subsection

    (a) .
            (c) Consultation.--In carrying out the study under subsection

    (a) , 
the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall 
consult with--

    (1) the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with 
 respect to--
        (A) how the plugging and remediation activity 
 conducted under 

section 349 of the Energy Policy Act of 
 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15907) has affected economic 
 development and housing trends; and
        (B) how data on locations of plugging and 
 remediation priorities from the Department of the 
 Interior may be valuable to the Department of Housing 
 and Urban Development;

    (2) the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, to 
 provide data required to carry out the study under subsection

    (a) ; and

    (3) other Federal agencies, as determined by the Secretary 
 of the Interior, in consultation with the National Academies of 
 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
            (d) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date on which the 
last grant is awarded under 

section 349 of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 15907), the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine shall submit to Congress a report detailing 
the findings of the study carried out under subsection

    (a) .

    (e) Use of Existing Funds.--This section shall be carried out using 
amounts otherwise made available to the Secretary of the Interior.
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