Collapse to view only § 13412. Oil shale
- § 13411. Enhanced oil recovery
- § 13412. Oil shale
- § 13413. Natural gas supply
- § 13414. Natural gas end-use technologies
- § 13415. Midcontinent Energy Research Center
§ 13411. Enhanced oil recovery
(a) Program direction
The Secretary shall conduct a 5-year program, in accordance with sections 13541 and 13542 of this title, on technologies to increase the recoverability of domestic oil resources to—
(1) improve reservoir characterization;
(2) improve analysis and field verification;
(3) field test and demonstrate enhanced oil recovery processes, including advanced processes, in reservoirs the Secretary considers to be of high priority, ranked primarily on the basis of oil recovery potential and risk of abandonment;
(4) transfer proven recovery technologies to producers and operators of wells, including stripper wells, that would otherwise be likely to be abandoned in the near term due to declining production;
(5) improve enhanced oil recovery process technology for more economic and efficient oil production;
(6) identify and develop new recovery technologies;
(7) study reservoir properties and how they affect oil recovery from porous media;
(8) improve techniques for meeting environmental requirements;
(9) improve data bases of reservoir and environmental conditions; and
(10) lower lifting costs on stripper wells by utilizing advanced renewable energy technologies such as small wind turbines and others.
(b) Program goals
(1) Near-term priorities
(2) Mid-term priorities
(3) Long-term priorities
(c) Accelerated program plan
(d) Proposals
(e) Consultation
(f) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 102–486, title XX, § 2011, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3057.)
§ 13412. Oil shale
(a) Program direction
(b) Program goals
The goals of the program established under this section include—
(1) supporting the development of economically competitive and environmentally acceptable technologies to produce domestic supplies of liquid fuels from oil shale;
(2) increasing knowledge of environmentally acceptable oil shale waste disposal technologies and practices;
(3) increasing knowledge of the chemistry and kinetics of oil shale retorting;
(4) increasing understanding of engineering issues concerning the design and scale-up of oil shale extraction and conversion technologies;
(5) improving techniques for oil shale mining systems; and
(6) providing for cooperation with universities and other private sector entities.
(c) Eastern oil shale program
(1) As part of the program authorized by this section, the Secretary shall carry out a program on oil shale that includes applied research, in cooperation with universities and the private sector, on eastern oil shale that may have the potential to decrease United States dependence on energy imports.
(2) As part of the program authorized by this subsection, the Secretary shall consider the potential benefits of including in that program applied research carried out in cooperation with universities and other private sector entities that are, as of October 24, 1992, engaged in research on eastern oil shale retorting and associated processes.
(3) The program carried out under this subsection shall be cost-shared with universities and the private sector to the maximum extent possible.
(d) Western oil shale program
(e) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 102–486, title XX, § 2012, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3058.)
§ 13413. Natural gas supply
(a) Program direction
The Secretary shall conduct a 5-year program, in accordance with sections 13541 and 13542 of this title, to increase the recoverable natural gas resource base including, but not limited to—
(1) more intensive recovery of natural gas from discovered conventional resources;
(2) the extraction of natural gas from tight gas sands and devonian shales or other unconventional sources;
(3) surface gasification of coal; and
(4) recovery of methane from biofuels including municipal solid waste.
(b) Proposals
(c) Cofiring of natural gas and coal
(1) Program
(2) Financial assistance
(3) Report to Congress
(d) Authorization of appropriations
(Pub. L. 102–486, title XX, § 2013, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3059.)
§ 13414. Natural gas end-use technologies
The Secretary shall carry out a 5-year program, in accordance with sections 13541 and 13542 of this title, on new and advanced natural gas utilization technologies including, but not limited to—
(1) stationary source emissions control and efficiency improvements including combustion systems, industrial processes, cogeneration, and waste fuels; and
(2) natural gas storage including increased deliverability from existing gas storage facilities and new capabilities for storage near demand centers, and on-site storage at major energy consuming facilities.
(Pub. L. 102–486, title XX, § 2014, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3060.)
§ 13415. Midcontinent Energy Research Center
(a) Finding
(b) Purposes
The purposes of this section are to—
(1) improve the efficiency of petroleum recovery;
(2) increase ultimate petroleum recovery; and
(3) delay the abandonment of resources.
(c) Establishment
The Secretary may establish the Midcontinent Energy Research Center (referred to in this section as the “Center”) to—
(1) conduct research in petroleum geology and engineering focused on improving the recovery of petroleum from existing fields and established plays in the upper midcontinent region of the United States; and
(2) ensure that the results of the research described in paragraph (1) are transferred to users.
(d) Research
(1) In general
(2) Programs
Research programs conducted by the Center may include—
(A) data base development and transfer of technology;
(B) reservoir management;
(C) reservoir characterization;
(D) advanced recovery methods; and
(E) development of new technology.
(Pub. L. 102–486, title XX, § 2015, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3060.)