Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§13411 Enhanced Oil Recovery

Title 42 › CHAPTER 134 — ENERGY POLICY › SUBCHAPTER VIII — REDUCTION OF OIL VULNERABILITY › Part A — Oil and Gas Supply Enhancement › § 13411

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must run a five-year program to find, test, and share ways to get more oil from U.S. fields. The work will include better mapping and testing of reservoirs, field demonstrations in high-priority sites chosen mainly for oil potential and risk of abandonment, sharing proven methods with producers (including low-producing "stripper" wells), developing cheaper and more efficient recovery processes, creating new recovery ideas, studying reservoir properties, improving environmental practices and data, and lowering pump costs on stripper wells using advanced renewable power like small wind turbines. Within 180 days after October 24, 1992, the Secretary must send Congress a plan for accelerated field testing. Within 1 year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary must ask for project proposals. The Secretary must consult industry, universities, federal labs, and an advisory board. Congress authorized $57,250,000 for fiscal year 1993 and $70,000,000 for fiscal year 1994.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §13411

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Program direction

The Secretary shall conduct a 5-year program, in accordance with section 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

The near-term priorities of the program include preserving access to high potential reservoirs, identifying available technologies that can extend the lifetime of wells and of stripper well property, and developing environmental field operations for waste disposal and injection practices.

(2)Mid-term priorities

The mid-term priorities of the program include developing and testing identified but unproven technologies, and transferring those technologies for widespread use.

(3)Long-term priorities

The long-term priorities of the program include developing advanced techniques to recover oil not recoverable by other techniques.

(c)Accelerated program plan

Within 180 days after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Congress a plan for carrying out under this section the accelerated field testing of technologies to achieve the priorities stated in subsection (b). In preparing the plan, the Secretary shall consult with appropriate representatives of industry, institutions of higher education, Federal agencies, including national laboratories, and professional and technical societies, and with the Advisory Board established under section 13522 of this title.

(d)Proposals

Within 1 year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall solicit proposals for conducting activities under this section.

(e)Consultation

In carrying out the provisions of this section, the Secretary shall consult representatives of the oil and gas industry with respect to innovative research and development proposals to improve oil and gas recovery and shall consider relevant technical data from industry and other research and information centers and institutes.

(f)Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for carrying out this section, including advanced extraction and process technology, $57,250,000 for fiscal year 1993 and $70,000,000 for fiscal year 1994.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 13411

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110