Methane Monitoring Science Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5668 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5668

To require a Federal science strategy for the monitoring and detection 
                  of methane, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 30, 2026

Mr. Curtis (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To require a Federal science strategy for the monitoring and detection 
                  of methane, 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 ``Methane Monitoring Science Act of 
2026''.

SEC. 2. METHANE MONITORING AND DETECTION STRATEGY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration (in this section referred to as the 
``Administrator'') shall carry out the following:
            (1) Develop, in consultation with the heads of relevant 
        Federal departments and agencies, a consensus- and science-
        based strategy to assess and evaluate the utilization of 
        present and future methane monitoring, detection, and 
        quantification capabilities, including ground-based, airborne, 
        and space-based sensors, source- and site-level technologies, 
        and the integration of data relating to such monitoring and 
        detection from other indicators, with a focus on the ability to 
        detect methane emissions and large methane emission events, to 
        strengthen American energy security.
            (2) Submit such strategy to Congress.
    (b) Goal.--The strategy under subsection (a) shall be developed 
with the goal of enhancing the scientific value of the capabilities 
referred to in such subsection, such that--
            (1) the Administrator may use such strategy to inform the 
        planning of relevant research and development activities; and
            (2) non-Federal entities, including State and local 
        governments, academia, nonprofit organizations, commercial 
        industry such as the natural gas and oil industry of the United 
        States, and international organizations, may effectively, but 
        are not required to, leverage data and information provided or 
        enabled by such capabilities.
    (c) Strategy Alignment.--In developing the strategy under 
subsection (a), the Administrator may draw on the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine decadal surveys pursuant to section 
20305 of title 51, United States Code, the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy interagency civilian Earth observation plans pursuant 
to section 702 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18371), and other earth 
observation planning and strategy documents and processes.
    (d) Rules of Construction.--
            (1) Enforcement authority.--Nothing in this section may be 
        construed as conferring enforcement authority to the 
        Administrator, or the head of any other Federal department or 
        agency, with regard to methane emissions, that was not in 
        effect on the date before the date of the enactment of this 
        Act.
            (2) Affect on other requirements.--Nothing in this section 
        may be construed to--
                    (A) establish or otherwise affect, any regulatory 
                requirement under any other provision of Federal law; 
                or
                    (B) authorize the use of information collected 
                under this section for the purposes of determining 
                compliance with, or enforcing, any such requirement.
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