Underground Coal Gasification and Unconventional Gas Research, Development and Demonstration Act
Latest action. Measure passed Senate, amended.
(Measure passed Senate, amended) Underground Coal Gasification and Unconventional Gas Research, Development, and Demonstration Act - Directs the Secretary of Energy to prepare a comprehensive program management plan for research, development, and demonstration activities for underground coal gasification and unconventional natural gas production. Requires the Secretary to transmit such plan to Congress not later than January 30, 1981. Directs the Secretary to establish research and development activities for underground coal gasification and unconventional natural gas production. Requires the Secretary to solicit proposals and evaluate new or improved technology which would contribute to such production. Directs the Secretary to solicit proposals for the design of underground coal gasification and enhanced gas recovery facilities to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of producing synthetic and unconventional natural gas. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements to construct: (1) a field demonstration facility with a minimum production capacity of 15,000,000 standard cubic feet per day of synthetic natural gas from underground coal gasification by 1987; (2) a field demonstration facility with a significant gas production on a continuous basis which provides system performance and reliability data to determine the commercial viability of the underground coal gasification technology utilized; (3) no more than six field tests of increased gas production from unconventional gas formations through the use of advanced fracturing technology; (4) no more than two field tests for the demonstration of unconventional natural gas production from geopressure reservoirs; and (5) no more than three coordinated field demonstrations of unconventional natural gas production from coal seams. Prohibits the expenditure of any funds for such facilities until the Secretary submits to the appropriate Congressional committees the plans and justification for any such facility and waits 30 legislative days. Directs the Secretary to prepare a comprehensive commericalization plan which shall include: (1) an analysis of the existing industrial infrastructure and identification of modifications in government policy necessary to establish a sufficient industrial infrastructure to meet national underground coal gasification and unconventional natural gas production goals; (2) an analysis of any legal and institutional barriers, including an analysis of the legal ownership of free methane in coal seams and an analysis of the effect of the inclusion of underground coal gasification in land use and coal activity planning; and (3) an assessment of the government actions needed to help eliminate economic uncertainties through financial incentives. Directs each respondent to include in its design proposal: (1) a plan leading to a full-scale, commercial facility based on the technology used in the proposed demonstration system; and (2) a commercialization strategy which includes plans for future participation toward meeting the national goal. Directs the Secretary to submit such comprehensive commercialization plan to Congress within two years after the enactment of this Act. Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress, as a separate part of the annual report submitted under the Department of Energy Organization Act, an annual report of the activities undertaken pursuant to this Act. Requires that such report include: (1) modifications to the comprehensive plans and programs for implementing this Act; (2) an evaluation of the state of underground coal gasification and unconventional natural gas recovery research and development in the United States; (3) a description of the contracts and grants made under this Act; (4) an analysis of the progress made in commercializing underground coal gasification and unconventional natural gas recovery technology; and (5) suggestions for improvements in underground coal gasification and unconventional natural gas recovery research and development, including recommendations for legislation. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal years 1981 and 1982 to carry out the purposes of this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate amended" stage on September 24, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
2 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 24, 1980: Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 2 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
SPARK MATSUNAGA (D-HI) introduced it on May 30, 1980, and 27 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 17 Democrats, 9 Republicans, 1 independent.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 30, 1980, 16904 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16787 days ago, on September 24, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenatePassed
- HouseAwaiting House vote
- PresidentAwaits both chambers