42 U.S.C. § 16522 — Low-volume gas reservoir study

(a) Study: The Secretary^* must give a grant to an organization of oil- and gas-producing states, specifically ones with significant numbers of marginal oil and natural gas wells, to conduct an annual study of low-volume natural gas reservoirs. That organization must work with the state^* geologist of each state being studied.

(b) Contents: The studies must: (1) determine the status and location of marginal wells and gas reservoirs; (2) gather production information on those wells and reservoirs; (3) estimate remaining producible reserves based on differing pipeline pressures; (4) locate low-pressure gathering facilities and pipelines; (5) recommend incentives to keep these resources in production; (6) produce maps and materials to share with states to promote natural gas conservation; and (7) evaluate how much natural gas is wasted through venting or flaring during crude oil production.

(c) Data analysis: An institution of higher education^* with GIS (geographic information systems) capabilities must perform the data work. If the organization receiving the grant lacks GIS capability, it must contract with entities that have: (1) technological capabilities and resources for advanced image processing, GIS programming, and data analysis; and (2) the ability to: (A) process high-resolution remotely sensed imagery; (B) use global positioning systems; (C) process and combine existing, differently formatted gas well, pipeline, gathering facility, and reservoir data; (D) build and search GIS databases with infrastructure location and attribute information; (E) write computer programs customizing relevant GIS software; (F) create maps, charts, and graphs summarizing the findings for different audiences; and (G) deliver data in various formats, including online mapping tools, desktop displays, and handheld devices.

(d) Authorization of appropriations: Congress may provide the Secretary: (1) $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and (2) $450,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2010.

(e) Definitions: In this section, "GIS" means geographic information systems technology, which helps organize and manage data tied to a geographic location.