Reauthorization of Water Desalination Act of 2011

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2664 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2664

   To reauthorize the Water Desalination Act of 1996, and for other 
                               purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 27, 2011

 Mrs. Napolitano introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 
    Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To reauthorize the Water Desalination Act of 1996, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Reauthorization of Water 
Desalination Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. WATER DESALINATION ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Interior (referred to in this 
section as the ``Secretary'') shall operate, manage and maintain 
facilities to carry out research, development, and demonstration 
activities to develop technologies and methods that promote brackish 
groundwater desalination as a viable method to increase water supply in 
a cost-effective manner.
    (b) Objectives; Activities.--
            (1) Objectives.--The Secretary shall conduct demonstration 
        projects--
                    (A) to develop new water and energy technologies 
                with widespread applicability; and
                    (B) to create new supplies of usable water for 
                municipal, agricultural, industrial, or environmental 
                purposes.
            (2) Activities.--In operating, managing, and maintaining 
        the facilities under subsection (a), the Secretary shall carry 
        out--
                    (A) as a priority, the development of renewable 
                energy technologies for integration with desalination 
                technologies--
                            (i) to reduce the capital and operational 
                        costs of desalination;
                            (ii) to minimize the environmental impacts 
                        of desalination; and
                            (iii) to increase public acceptance of 
                        desalination as a viable water supply process;
                    (B) research regarding various desalination 
                processes, including improvements in reverse and 
                forward osmosis technologies;
                    (C) the development of innovative methods and 
                technologies to reduce the volume and cost of 
                desalination concentrated wastes (including the 
                disposal of desalination concentrated wastes) in an 
                environmentally sound manner;
                    (D) an outreach program to create partnerships with 
                States, academic institutions, private entities, local 
                public agencies, and other appropriate organizations to 
                conduct research, development, and demonstration 
                activities, including the establishment of rental and 
                other charges to provide revenue to help offset the 
                costs of operating and maintaining the facility; and
                    (E) an outreach program to educate the public on--
                            (i) desalination and renewable energy 
                        technologies; and
                            (ii) the benefits of using water in an 
                        efficient manner.
    (c) Authority of Secretary.--The Secretary may enter into contracts 
or other agreements with, or make grants to, appropriate entities to 
manage, operate, or otherwise carry out this section, including an 
agreement with a local or regional academic institution or a consortium 
of institutions to manage research activities.
    (d) Reauthorization.--Section 8 of the Water Desalination Act of 
1996 (42 U.S.C. 10301 note; Public Law 104-298) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence, by striking 
        ``2011'' and inserting ``2016''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``$25,000,000 for fiscal 
        years 1997 through 2011'' and inserting ``$2,000,000 for each 
        of fiscal years 2012 through 2016''.
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