# 119-s-514: MERP Clarifications Act of 2025

119-s-514, MERP Clarifications Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-514
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-514
- Congress: 119
- Title: MERP Clarifications Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-02-11
- Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Environmental Protection
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Exempts small upstream producers and delays methane charges.** This bill would change the Methane Emissions Reduction Incentive Program for petroleum and natural gas systems by carving out small producers, requiring EPA to meet specific transparency and rulemaking steps before any waste charge applies, and setting a sunset with a post-sunset compensation framework. - Facilities that emit less than 25,000 metric tons CO2e per year or have 2,500 or fewer full-time employees would be exempt from reporting and charges. EPA must send written notice and publicly confirm non-subject status within 60 days. - No waste charge could be collected until EPA verifies for at least one year that grants have been fully disbursed, emission-factor revisions are finalized, and other prerequisites are met. The bill also requires a 90-day public comment period and expedited dispute resolution before fees can start. - EPA must publish an Administrator's Order within 60 days explaining how CO2e, methane intensity, and charges are calculated and listing studies and consultants used. The program would terminate on December 31, 2034 unless reauthorized and includes a process for financial claims if activities cease.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Exemptions and clearer rules for producers: benefit, medium. This bill would exempt many small oil and gas facilities from MERP reporting and charges. If a facility on August 16, 2022 emitted under 25,000 metric tons CO2e and had 2,500 or fewer full‑time employees, EPA could not require reports or charges and must notify them within 60 days. The bill would a…
- Delay and sunset for methane charge: mixed, medium. This bill would stop EPA from imposing or collecting the MERP waste charge until the January 1 after EPA verifies two prerequisites have been met for at least one year and notifies two congressional committees. The prerequisites are full disbursement of grants under subsections (a) and (b) and fina…

## Related bills

- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-62: America First Act
- 119-s-1949: Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act
- 119-s-4384: Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-514 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/514)

## Related
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4378)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-62: America First Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-62)
- [119-s-1949: Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1949)
- [119-s-4384: Medicare Advantage Improvement Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4384)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-514 (as of 2026-09-10).