US Congress House Bill 9478

22 July 2026 | ZEROGeoengineering.com | Another example of Congressional coordination and funding to use our atmosphere as a chemistry lab. The strategy proposed in the bipartisan bill, “Methane Removal Research and Innovation Act of 2026,” H.R. 9478, would ostensibly remove pollution with more pollution via atmospheric experiments. The activity is described in the bill as: “enhancing sinks by breaking down methane in, or removing methane from, the ambient atmosphere through a physical, chemical, or biological method, or combination there of.”

Leading agency, Department of Energy, would organize activities for atmospheric experimentation with partner ICAMS agencies: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Other participating Federal Agencies: The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, The United States Geological Survey, The National Institute of Standards and Technology, and National Laboratories. Congress is aware of the lack of public consent for polluting atmospheric experimentation via interventions, referencing this fact in H.R. 9478 with the term, “social barriers.” See page 4 below.

H.R. 9478 — “To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a research initiative to develop technologies to remove methane from the atmosphere, and for other purposes.”

“The term ‘‘methane removal approach’’ means enhancing sinks by breaking down methane in, or removing methane from, the ambient atmosphere through a physical, chemical, or biological method, or combination thereof.”

“…to expand the scientific understanding of chemistry, geosciences, biosciences, atmospheric sciences, earth and environmental systems sciences, engineering, materials, social sciences, and ethics useful for the practical development of methane removal approaches.”

“Through the Initiative, the Secretary shall organize activities among multidisciplinary teams, consisting of experts from National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, private sector entities, and other appropriate entities to support research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities examining the feasibility, costs, potential scale, social barriers, and the practical development of methane removal approaches.”

NOTE: Public perception management :

“(viii) Science communication and public engagement materials.”

“The Secretary is authorized to organize research activities under this paragraph through single Principal Investigator awards, small research groups, Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.”

“(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.”