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S 1856 111th Congress Senate Energy Climate change and greenhouse gases Land transfers Land use and conservation Mining

A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to clarify policies regarding ownership of pore space.

Introduced: October 22, 2009 Introduced by: Barrasso, John Republican · Wyoming See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Apr 20, 2010
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-652.
Oct 22, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Oct 22, 2009
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to define "pore space" as a subsurface space of any size that can be used as storage space for carbon dioxide or other substances injected into the space for storage.

Vests ownership in the federal government of any subsurface pore space located below a federal surface estate.

Requires inclusion within a conveyance of the surface ownership of federal land the conveyance of the federal pore space in all strata below the surface of such land (other than previously reserved mineral rights) unless the ownership interest in the pore space has previously been severed from the surface ownership.

Prohibits: (1) any agreement conveying federal interests underlying the surface of the land from also conveying ownership of federal pore space in the stratum unless the agreement explicitly conveys the interest in pore space; and (2) the holder of any pore space right from using the surface estate (except for the uses described in a properly recorded instrument).

States that the mineral estate is dominant for purposes of determining the priority of subsurface uses between a mineral estate and pore space.

What's happening now April 20, 2010

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 111-652.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 6077 Identical bill To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to clarify policies regarding ownership of pore space.
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1856: A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to clarify policies regarding ownership of pore space.. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1856/
MLA
"S. 1856: A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to clarify policies regarding ownership of pore space.." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1856/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1856, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1856/.
Markdown link
[S. 1856: A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to clarify policies regarding ownership of pore space.](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1856/)
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