Energy and Water Research Integration Act of 2014 - Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to integrate water considerations into its energy research, development, and demonstration programs and projects by: (1) advancing energy and energy efficiency technologies and practices that meet the objectives of minimizing freshwater withdrawal and consumption, increasing water use efficiency, and utilizing nontraditional water sources with efforts to improve the quality of the water from those sources; (2) considering the effects climate variability may have on water supplies and quality for energy generation and fuel production; and (3) improving the understanding of the energy required to provide reliable water supplies and the water required to provide reliable energy supplies.
Directs DOE to develop and update every five years a strategic plan to carry out the integration.
Requires DOE to establish an Energy-Water Subcommittee of the Energy Advisory Board to promote and enable improved energy and water resource data collection, reporting, and technological innovation.
Prohibits this Act from being construed to require state, tribal, or local governments to take any action that may result in an increased financial burden by restricting their water use.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5189 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5189
To ensure consideration of water intensity in the Department of
Energy's energy research, development, and demonstration programs to
help guarantee efficient, reliable, and sustainable delivery of energy
and clean water resources.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 24, 2014
Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself and Mr. Hall)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To ensure consideration of water intensity in the Department of
Energy's energy research, development, and demonstration programs to
help guarantee efficient, reliable, and sustainable delivery of energy
and clean water resources.
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 ``Energy and Water Research
Integration Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. INTEGRATING ENERGY AND WATER RESEARCH.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall integrate water
considerations into energy research, development, and demonstration
programs and projects of the Department of Energy by--
(1) advancing energy and energy efficiency technologies and
practices that meet the objectives of--
(A) minimizing freshwater withdrawal and
consumption;
(B) increasing water use efficiency; and
(C) utilizing nontraditional water sources with
efforts to improve the quality of the water from those
sources;
(2) considering the effects climate variability may have on
water supplies and quality for energy generation and fuel
production; and
(3) improving understanding of the energy-water nexus.
(b) Strategic Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 12 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a strategic
plan identifying the research, development, and demonstration
needs for Department programs and projects to carry out
subsection (a). The strategic plan shall include technical
milestones for achieving and assessing progress toward the
objectives of subsection (a)(1).
(2) Specific considerations.--In developing the strategic
plan, the Secretary shall consider--
(A) new advanced cooling technologies for energy
generation and fuel production technologies;
(B) performance improvement of existing cooling
technologies and cost reductions associated with using
those technologies;
(C) innovative water reuse, recovery, and treatment
technologies in energy generation and fuel production;
(D) technology development for carbon capture and
storage systems that utilize efficient water use design
strategies;
(E) technologies that are life-cycle cost
effective;
(F) systems analysis and modeling of issues
relating to the energy-water nexus;
(G) technologies to treat and utilize wastewater
and produced waters discharged from oil, natural gas,
coalbed methane, and any other substance to be used as
an energy source;
(H) advanced materials for the use of
nontraditional water sources for energy generation and
fuel production;
(I) biomass production and utilization and the
impact on hydrologic systems;
(J) technologies that reduce impacts on water from
energy resource development;
(K) energy efficient technologies for water
distribution, treatment, and collection systems;
(L) technologies for energy generation from water
distribution, treatment, and collection systems; and
(M) any other area of the energy-water nexus that
the Secretary considers appropriate.
(3) Collaboration and nonduplication.--In developing the
strategic plan, the Secretary shall coordinate and avoid
duplication--
(A) with other Federal agencies operating related
programs, if appropriate; and
(B) across programs and projects of the Department,
including with those of the National Laboratories.
(4) Relevant information and recommendations.--In
developing the strategic plan, the Secretary shall consider and
incorporate, as appropriate, relevant information and
recommendations, including those of the National Water
Availability and Use Assessment Program under section 9508(d)
of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C.
10368(d)).
(5) Additional participation.--In developing the strategic
plan, the Secretary shall consult and coordinate with a diverse
group of representatives from research and academic
institutions, industry, and State and local governments who
have expertise in technologies and practices relating to the
energy-water nexus.
(6) Submission to congress.--Not later than 15 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit
to Congress the strategic plan.
(7) Updating the strategic plan.--Not later than 3 years
after the date of enactment of this Act, and at least once
every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall--
(A) utilize relevant information produced by
Federal Government agencies, academia, States, and
industry to update the strategic plan;
(B) include in the updated strategic plan a
description of the changes from the previous strategic
plan and the rationale for such changes; and
(C) submit the updated strategic plan to Congress.
(c) Progress Reports.--Not less frequently than once every 2 years,
the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report on the progress the
Department has made toward the milestones outlined in the strategic
plan.
(d) Additional Activities.--The Secretary may provide for such
additional research, development, and demonstration activities as
appropriate to integrate water considerations into the research,
development, and demonstration activities of the Department as
described in subsection (a).
SEC. 3. ENERGY-WATER OVERSIGHT AND COORDINATION.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with other relevant
Federal agencies, shall establish an Energy-Water Subcommittee of the
Energy Advisory Board to promote and enable improved energy and water
resource data collection, reporting, and technological innovation. The
Subcommittee shall consist of--
(1) representation from each program within the Department
and each Federal agency that conducts research related to the
energy-water nexus; and
(2) non-Federal members, including representatives of
research and academic institutions, States, and industry, who
have expertise in technologies and practices relating to the
energy-water nexus.
(b) Functions.--The Subcommittee shall--
(1) make recommendations on the development and integration
of data collection and data communication standards and
protocols to agencies and entities currently engaged in
collecting the data for the energy-water nexus;
(2) recommend ways to make improvements to Federal water
use data to increase understanding of trends in energy
generation and fuel production;
(3) recommend best practices for utilizing information from
existing monitoring networks to provide nationally uniform
water and energy use and infrastructure data; and
(4) conduct annual technical workshops, including at least
1 regional workshop annually, to facilitate information
exchange among Federal, regional, State, local, and tribal
governments and private sector experts on technologies that
encourage the conservation and efficient use of water and
energy.
(c) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, and at least once every 2 years thereafter, the Subcommittee,
through the Secretary, shall transmit to Congress a report on its
findings and activities under this section.
SEC. 4. MANDATES.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require State, tribal, or
local governments to take any action that may result in an increased
financial burden to such governments by restricting the use of water by
such governments.
SEC. 5. COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall coordinate
activities under this Act with other programs of the Department and
other Federal research programs.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Energy.
(2) Energy-water nexus.--The term ``energy-water nexus''
means the energy required to provide reliable water supplies
and the water required to provide reliable energy supplies
throughout the United States.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(4) Subcommittee.--The term ``Subcommittee'' means the
Energy-Water Subcommittee of the Energy Advisory Board
established under section 3(a).
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line