1.This Act may be cited as
the Energy and Water Integration Act
of 2011
.
2.In this Act, the
term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.
3.
(a)Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior and
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the Academy shall
conduct an in-depth analysis of the impact of energy development and production
on the water resources of the United States.
(b)
(1)The study described in subsection (a) shall be comprised
of each assessment described in paragraphs (2) through (4).
(2)Transportation
sector assessment
(A)The study shall include a lifecycle assessment of the
quantity of water withdrawn and consumed in the production of transportation
fuels, or electricity used as a fuel source, to evaluate the ratio that—
(i)the
quantity of water withdrawn and consumed in the production of transportation
fuels (measured in gallons), or electricity (measured in kilowatt-hours); bears
to
(ii)the total
distance (measured in miles) that may be traveled as a result of the
consumption of transportation fuels, or electricity.
(B)
(i)The assessment shall include, as applicable—
(I)the exploration
for, and extraction or growing of, energy feedstock;
(II)the processing
of energy feedstock into transportation fuel;
(III)the generation,
transportation, and storage of electricity for transportation; and
(IV)the conduct of
an analysis of the efficiency with which the transportation fuel is
consumed.
(ii)The
assessment shall contain an analysis of transportation fuel sources,
including—
(I)domestically
produced crude oil (including products derived from domestically produced crude
oil);
(II)imported crude
oil (including products derived from imported crude oil);
(III)domestically
produced natural gas (including liquid fuels derived from natural gas);
(IV)imported natural
gas (including liquid fuels derived from natural gas);
(V)oil shale;
(VI)tar
sands;
(VII)domestically
produced corn-based ethanol;
(VIII)imported
corn-based ethanol;
(IX)advanced
biofuels (including cellulosic- and algae-based biofuels);
(X)coal to liquids
(including aviation fuel, diesel, and gasoline products);
(XI)electricity
consumed in—
- (aa)fully electric
drive vehicles;
- (bb)plug-in hybrid
vehicles; and
- (cc)hydrogen;
and
(XII)any reasonably
foreseeable combination of any transportation fuel source described in
subclauses (I) through (XI).
(3)Electricity
sector assessment
(A)The study shall include a lifecycle assessment of the
quantity of water withdrawn and consumed in the production of electricity to
evaluate the ratio that—
(i)the
quantity of water used and consumed in the production of electricity (measured
in gallons); bears to
(ii)the quantity of
electricity that is produced (measured in kilowatt-hours).
(B)The assessment shall include, as applicable—
(i)the
exploration for, or extraction or growing of, energy feedstock;
(ii)the processing
of energy feedstock for electricity production; and
(iii)the production
of electricity.
(C)The assessment shall contain an evaluation and analysis of
electricity generation facilities that are constructed in accordance with
different plant designs (including different cooling technologies such as
water, air, and hybrid systems, and technologies designed to minimize carbon
dioxide releases) based on the fuel used by the facility, including—
(i)coal;
(ii)natural
gas;
(iii)oil;
(iv)nuclear
energy;
(v)solar
energy;
(vi)wind
energy;
(vii)geothermal
energy;
(viii)biomass;
(ix)the beneficial
use of waste heat; and
(x)any
reasonably foreseeable combination of any fuel described in clauses (i) through
(ix).
(4)Assessment of
additional impactsIn addition to the impacts associated with the
direct use and consumption of water resources in the transportation and
electricity sectors described in paragraphs (2) and (3), the study shall
contain an identification and analysis of any unique water impact associated
with a specific fuel source, including an impact resulting from—
(A)any extraction or
mining practice;
(B)the
transportation of feedstocks from the point of extraction to the point of
processing;
(C)the
transportation of fuel and power from the point of processing to the point of
consumption; and
(D)the location of a
specific fuel source from specific geographical regions, including coastal
regions.
(c)Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the National Academy of Sciences shall submit to the Secretary a
report that contains a summary of the results of the study conducted under this
section.
(d)Availability of
Results of StudyOn the date on which the National Academy of
Sciences completes the study under this section, the National Academy of
Sciences shall make available to the public the results of the study.
4.Power plant
water and energy efficiency
(a)To protect water supplies and promote the efficient use
of water in the electricity production sector, the Secretary, in consultation
with the Secretary of the Interior and the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, shall conduct a study to identify alternative technologies
and related strategies to optimize water and energy efficiency in the
production of electricity by each type of generation.
(b)The study shall include an evaluation of different types of
generation facilities, including—
(1)coal facilities,
under which the evaluation shall account for—
(A)different types
of coal and associated generating technologies; and
(B)the use of
technologies designed to minimize and sequester carbon dioxide releases;
(2)oil and natural
gas facilities, under which the evaluation shall account for the use of
technologies designed to minimize and sequester carbon dioxide releases;
(3)hydropower,
including turbine upgrades, incremental hydropower, in-stream hydropower, and
pump-storage projects;
(4)thermal solar
facilities; and
(5)nuclear
facilities.
(c)Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
a report that contains a description of the results of the study conducted
under this section (including an assessment of any region-specific factor, such
as water availability and energy reliability, that should be considered in
evaluating the results).
5.Reclamation
water conservation and energy savings study
(a)In
this section:
(1)The term Reclamation project means a project
authorized by the Federal Government and carried out by the Bureau of
Reclamation.
(2)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through
the Commissioner of Reclamation.
(b)
(1)In accordance with paragraph (2), to promote the
efficient use of energy in water distribution systems, the Secretary shall
conduct a study to evaluate the quantities of energy used in water storage and
delivery operations in Reclamation projects.
(2)In
conducting the study, the Secretary shall—
(A)assess and
estimate the annual energy consumption associated with the Reclamation
projects; and
(B)identify—
(i)the
Reclamation projects that consume the greatest quantity of energy; and
(ii)the aspect of
the operation of each Reclamation project described in clause (i) that is the
most energy intensive (including water storage and releases, water delivery,
and administrative operations); and
(C)identify
opportunities to significantly reduce current energy consumption and costs with
respect to each Reclamation project described in subparagraph (B), including,
as applicable, through—
(i)reduced
groundwater pumping;
(ii)improved
reservoir operations;
(iii)infrastructure
rehabilitation;
(iv)water reuse;
and
(v)the
integration of renewable energy generation with project operations.
(c)Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
a report that contains a description of the results of the study conducted
under this section, including an estimate of the quantity of renewable energy
potentially available for generation from reclamation projects.
6.
(a)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)
(1)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)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)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)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
.
7.Enhanced
information on water-related energy consumptionSection 205 of the Department of Energy
Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7135) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
(n)Water-related
Energy Consumption
(1)Not less than once during each 3-year period, to aid in
the understanding and reduction of the quantity of energy used in association
with the use of water, the Administrator shall conduct an assessment under
which the Administrator shall collect information on energy use in various
sectors of the economy that are associated with the procurement, treatment, or
delivery of water.
(2)An assessment described in paragraph (1) shall contain an
analysis of water-related energy use for all relevant sectors of the economy,
including water used for—
(A)agricultural
purposes;
(B)municipal
purposes;
(C)industrial
purposes; and
(D)domestic
purposes.
(3)Nothing
in this subsection affects the authority of the Administrator to collect data
under section 52 of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C.
790a).
.
8.Energy-water
research and development roadmap
(a)Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall develop a document to be known as the
Energy-Water Research and Development Roadmap
to define the
future research, development, demonstration, and commercialization efforts that
are required to address emerging water-related challenges to future,
cost-effective, reliable, and sustainable energy generation and
production.
(b)
(1)Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress
a report describing the document described in subsection (a), including
recommendations for any future action with respect to the document.
(2)The
report described in paragraph (1) shall include a review of existing research,
development, and demonstration programs within the Department of Energy to
determine which programs should include water use considerations.
9.Energy-water
clean technology grant program
(a)In
this section:
(1)The term eligible entity means—
(A)an eligible unit
of local government;
(B)an Indian tribe;
and
(C)a water or
wastewater agency of a State or local government or other public agency.
(2)Eligible unit
of local governmentThe term eligible unit of local
government has the meaning given the term in section 541 of the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17151).
(3)The term Indian tribe has the meaning given
the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance
Act (25 U.S.C. 450b).
(b)In accordance with subsection (c), the Secretary may
carry out a competitive grant program under which the Secretary may provide
grants to eligible entities to demonstrate the deployment of technologies that
reduce the consumption of, or conserve, energy supplies through energy savings
and water conservation activities in commercial, residential, and mixed-use
development projects.
(c)
(1)In carrying out the program under subsection (b), the
Secretary shall provide assistance to eligible entities that carry out projects
that—
(A)have the
potential to be replicated in other locations;
(B)are of sufficient
size to demonstrate deployment of the project at scale; and
(C)are likely to
accelerate and expand investment in cost-effective technologies that
demonstrate sustained reductions in energy consumption or conservation of
energy supplies, including the deployment of renewable energy and water reuse
technologies.
(2)In
selecting eligible entities under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give
priority to each eligible entity that carries out a project that has the
potential to create sustained energy reductions that are greater than 50
percent for the project development, as compared to similar project
developments that do not include the technology used by the project that is the
subject of the demonstration.
(3)Each
demonstration activity carried out under a project under this program shall be
subject to each cost-sharing requirement described in section 988 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352).
(4)Public-private
partnershipsThe Secretary shall provide a grant under this
section only to an eligible entity that uses a public-private partnership to
design and carry-out the project of the eligible entity.
(5)Funds provided through a grant made by the Secretary under
this section shall not be used by the recipient eligible entity for any
operation or maintenance cost of the eligible entity.
(6)The
Secretary shall require each eligible entity that receives a grant from the
Secretary under this section to submit to the Secretary on a date not later
than 1 year after the date on which the eligible entity completes the project
of the eligible entity a report that contains a description of—
(A)the estimated
reductions in water use achieved by the project of the entity;
(B)the reductions in
energy consumption achieved by the project of the entity;
(C)the comprehensive
environmental benefits achieved by the project of the entity; and
(D)the manner by
which each reduction or benefit described in subparagraphs (A) through (C)
compare to the original estimates of the eligible entity.
10.Rural water
utilities energy and water efficiency programAs soon as practicable after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish and carry out a program
similar to, and consistent with, the national rural water and wastewater
circuit rider program established under section 306(a)(22) of the Consolidated
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)) (including the authority
to make grants)—
(1)to provide
on-site technical assistance to rural drinking water and wastewater utilities
(including utilities serving an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4 of the
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b)));
and
(2)to improve energy
efficiency, identify and develop alternative and renewable energy supplies, and
conserve water in the operation of rural drinking water and wastewater
utilities.
11.Comprehensive
water use and energy savings study
(a)As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of
this Act, in consultation with other Federal agencies and appropriate entities,
and incorporating available governmental and nongovernmental data as
appropriate, the Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive study to determine the
interrelated nature of water and energy use (including energy consumption in
water-related processes and the manner by which to reduce water-related energy
consumption) to promote the efficient use of water and energy.
(b)
(1)In conducting the study under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall include each component described in paragraphs (2) through
(5).
(2)In accordance with paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall—
(A)assess the annual
industrial water use of the United States through a comparison, as the
Secretary determines to be appropriate, of the differences in usage
among—
(i)various regions
of the United States;
(ii)industry types
and processes; and
(iii)the use of
in-plant waste treatment facilities; and
(B)identify
opportunities to reduce significantly industrial energy consumption and
associated costs through the use of—
(i)water management
strategies;
(ii)water
conservation using technologies in existence as of the date of enactment of
this Act; and
(iii)reused water,
particularly with respect to industrial energy applications.
(3)In accordance with paragraph (1), the Secretary shall
identify options to reduce energy use by water treatment and delivery systems
during peak electric demand periods, including through—
(A)the use of
increased water storage facilities;
(B)the aggregation
of water system utility accounts;
(C)the installation
of supervisory control and data acquisition systems; and
(D)improvements made
to primary and secondary water and wastewater treatment.
(4)In accordance with paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall identify and assess—
(A)the applications
and uses for nonfreshwater sources of water supply in industrial, commercial,
and residential applications; and
(B)the potential
energy conservation that may result from the use of nonfreshwater supplies,
including—
(i)recycled and
reclaimed water;
(ii)produced water;
and
(iii)other
nontraditional water sources.
(5)In accordance with paragraph (1), to facilitate an
understanding of the potential energy savings associated with water
conservation and efficiency, the Secretary shall assess and estimate the
quantity and type of energy consumed in the procurement, transport, and
treatment of water supplies and wastewater that serve industrial, commercial,
and residential uses, including variations relating to differences in geography
and types of supply and wastewater processes.
(c)Not
later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that contains a
description of—
(1)the results of
the study conducted by the Secretary under this section; and
(2)the means by
which to incorporate, and the benefits of incorporating, the results of the
study into related reports prepared by the Secretary.
July 11, 2011
Read twice and placed on the calendar