This Act may be cited as the Methane Monitoring Science Act of 2026.

(a) In general Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (in this section referred to as the Administrator) shall carry out the following: (1) Develop, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal departments and agencies, a consensus- and science-based strategy to assess and evaluate the utilization of present and future methane monitoring, detection, and quantification capabilities, including ground-based, airborne, and space-based sensors, source- and site-level technologies, and the integration of data relating to such monitoring and detection from other indicators, with a focus on the ability to detect methane emissions and large methane emission events, to strengthen American energy security. (2) Submit such strategy to Congress. (b) Goal The strategy under subsection (a) shall be developed with the goal of enhancing the scientific value of the capabilities referred to in such subsection, such that— (1) the Administrator may use such strategy to inform the planning of relevant research and development activities; and (2) non-Federal entities, including State and local governments, academia, nonprofit organizations, commercial industry such as the natural gas and oil industry of the United States, and international organizations, may effectively, but are not required to, leverage data and information provided or enabled by such capabilities. (c) Strategy alignment In developing the strategy under subsection (a), the Administrator may draw on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine decadal surveys pursuant to section 20305 of title 51, United States Code, the Office of Science and Technology Policy interagency civilian Earth observation plans pursuant to section 702 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18371U.S. Code — Title 42, Section 18371View official source on GovInfo), and other earth observation planning and strategy documents and processes. (d) Rules of construction (1) Enforcement authority Nothing in this section may be construed as conferring enforcement authority to the Administrator, or the head of any other Federal department or agency, with regard to methane emissions, that was not in effect on the date before the date of the enactment of this Act. (2) Affect on other requirements Nothing in this section may be construed to— (A) establish or otherwise affect, any regulatory requirement under any other provision of Federal law; or (B) authorize the use of information collected under this section for the purposes of determining compliance with, or enforcing, any such requirement.