[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 1, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H13370-H13372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1530
               ENERGY AND WATER RESEARCH INTEGRATION ACT

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3598) 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 water resources, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3598

       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''.

     SEC. 2. ENERGY AND WATER RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall assess each 
     of the energy research, development, and demonstration 
     programs and projects of the Department of Energy and 
     identify those programs and projects into which it is 
     appropriate to integrate water considerations. In carrying 
     out this section the Secretary shall, as appropriate--
       (1) seek to advance energy and energy efficiency 
     technologies and practices that would--
       (A) minimize freshwater withdrawal and consumption;
       (B) increase water use efficiency; and
       (C) utilize nontraditional water sources with efforts to 
     improve the quality of that water;
       (2) consider the effects climate variability and change may 
     have on water supplies and quality for energy generation and 
     fuel production; and
       (3) improve understanding of the energy required to provide 
     water supplies and the water required to provide reliable 
     energy supplies throughout the United States.
       (b) Strategic Plan.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall develop 
     a Strategic Plan (in this section referred to as the 
     ``Strategic Plan'') outlining the research, development, and 
     demonstration needs for the programs and projects identified 
     under subsection (a), in accordance with subsections (a) 
     through (c) of this section, as appropriate.
       (2) Milestones and specific considerations.--In carrying 
     out the development and updating of the Strategic Plan in 
     accordance with this subsection, the Secretary shall evaluate 
     and, as appropriate, establish technical milestones for--
       (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 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 required to provide water supplies and the water 
     required to provide reliable energy supplies throughout the 
     United States;
       (G) technologies to treat and utilize produced waters 
     discharged from oil, natural gas, coalbed methane, and mining 
     activities;
       (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) increases in energy efficiency of water distribution 
     and collection systems;
       (L) technologies for energy generation from water 
     distribution and collection systems; and
       (M) any other area of the energy-water nexus that the 
     Secretary considers appropriate.
       (3) Interagency collaboration and nonduplication.--In 
     carrying out the development and updating of the Strategic 
     Plan in accordance with this subsection, the Secretary shall, 
     where appropriate, work collaboratively with other Federal 
     agencies operating related programs and avoid duplication.
       (4) Intra-agency coordination and nonduplication.--In 
     carrying out the development and updating of the Strategic 
     Plan in accordance with this subsection, the Secretary shall 
     coordinate and avoid duplication of activities across 
     programs and projects of the Department of Energy, including 
     with those of the National laboratories.
       (5) Relevant information and recommendations.--In carrying 
     out the development and updating of the Strategic Plan in 
     accordance with this subsection, 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)).
       (6) Nongovernmental participation.--In carrying out the 
     development and updating of the Strategic Plan in accordance 
     with this subsection, the Secretary shall consult and 
     coordinate with a diverse group of representatives from 
     research and academic institutions and industry who have 
     expertise in technologies and practices relating to the 
     energy required to provide water supplies and the water 
     required to provide reliable energy supplies throughout the 
     United States.
       (7) Submission to congress.--Not later than 9 months after 
     the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
     to Congress the Strategic Plan.
       (8) Updating the strategic plan.--Not later than 3 years 
     after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     utilize relevant information produced by Federal Government 
     agencies, academia, and industry to update the Strategic 
     Plan, and submit a report to Congress describing the changes 
     from the initial Strategic Plan.
       (c) Implementation.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Energy shall implement 
     the Strategic Plan, as appropriate, in carrying out energy 
     research, development, and demonstration programs of the 
     Department of Energy.
       (2) Application to projects.--Not later than 3 months after 
     the submission of the report to Congress in subsection 
     (b)(7)), the Secretary shall as appropriate apply the 
     Strategic Plan to projects--
       (A) identified as the most energy and water intensive; and
       (B) with the most potential to achieve the purposes of this 
     section.
       (3) Delay or disruption.--In carrying out this subsection, 
     the Secretary shall ensure that no program or project of the 
     Department is unnecessarily delayed or disrupted.
       (d) Reports.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and at least once every 2 years 
     thereafter, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report 
     on its findings and activities under this section.
       (e) Additional Activities.--The Secretary may provide for 
     such additional research, development, and demonstration 
     activities as may be appropriate to integrate water 
     considerations into the research, development, and 
     demonstration activities of the Department as described in 
     subsection (a).
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for carrying 
     out this section $60,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2011 through 2015.

     SEC. 3. ENERGY-WATER ARCHITECTURE COUNCIL.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy, in coordination 
     with other relevant Federal agencies, shall establish an 
     Energy-Water Architecture Council to promote and enable 
     improved energy and water resource data collection, 
     reporting, and technological innovation. The Council shall 
     consist of--
       (1) representation from each Federal agency that conducts 
     research related to energy and water resource data; and
       (2) non-Federal members, including representatives of 
     research and academic institutions and industry, who have 
     expertise in technologies and practices relating to the 
     energy required to provide water supplies and the water 
     required to provide reliable energy supplies throughout the 
     United States.
       (b) Functions.--The Council shall--
       (1) make recommendations on the development of data 
     collection and data communication standards and protocols to 
     agencies and entities currently engaged in collecting the 
     data for the energy required to provide water supplies and 
     the water required to provide reliable energy supplies 
     throughout the United States;
       (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 
     one regional workshop annually, to facilitate information 
     exchange among Federal, State, 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 Council, through the Secretary of Energy, 
     shall transmit to the Congress a report on its findings and 
     activities under this section.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for carrying 
     out this section $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2011 
     through 2015.

[[Page H13371]]

     SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL REGULATIONS.

       Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow the 
     establishment of regulations by the Federal Government that 
     would infringe or impair the use of water by State, tribal, 
     or local governments.

     SEC. 5. 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. 6. COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.

       To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of Energy 
     shall coordinate activities under this Act with other 
     programs of the Department of Energy and other Federal 
     research programs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Tonko) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 3598, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Demand for energy and water resources is stressing our environment 
and our economy. Innovation and technologies which address the nexus 
between these two resources is critical to the future of our country. 
H.R. 3598 requires the Secretary of Energy to consider water-related 
issues in the Department's energy efficiency and energy technology 
research programs. Additionally, H.R. 3598 creates an energy-water 
architecture council that will facilitate the collaboration of 
industry, of academia, and of the Federal Government in improving 
energy and water resources data collection, reporting, and 
technological innovation.
  Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall of the Science and Technology 
Committee have worked hard to improve this bill on its way to the 
floor. To ensure appropriate use of taxpayer dollars, the bill now 
includes direction to the Secretary of Energy to develop a strategic 
plan which will focus the Department's efforts on the most energy- and 
water-intensive programs and projects with the most potential to 
achieve the purposes of this bill.
  This legislation is the product of recommendations heard in five 
Science and Technology Committee hearings on water and several reports 
from the National Academies, the Government Accountability Office, the 
National Science Technology Council, and the Department of Energy. With 
letters of support from the Water Innovations Alliance, NanoH2O, Inc., 
and the Alliance for Water Efficiency, this legislation takes important 
steps to deal with our country's water and energy resource challenges.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 3598.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 3598, the Energy and Water Research 
Integration Act, and I agree with Mr. Tonko, the gentleman from New 
York. As with H.R. 3029, the bill we are considering on the floor today 
has been amended since it was passed out of the Committee on Science 
and Technology on October 7 of this year.
  I supported the intent of the bill, as introduced, which is to ensure 
consideration of water intensity in the Department of Energy's 
research, development, and demonstration programs, and through the 
process of regular order, H.R. 3598 improved. For example, two 
amendments which were agreed to during the full committee markup 
clarified that the language of the bill should not be the basis for any 
new Federal regulations regarding State, local, or tribal water use and 
should not trigger any increased financial burden on State, local, or 
tribal governments. However, a few fundamental concerns remained, and 
during the markup, Chairman Gordon graciously offered to work with our 
side of the aisle to make changes and improvements to the committee-
passed version. What we're considering today is a result of 
negotiations to draft a good bill acceptable to all.
  This amended version of H.R. 3598 requires the Secretary of Energy to 
assess the energy research, development, and demonstration programs and 
projects of the Department of Energy and identify those where it's 
appropriate to integrate water considerations. The Secretary shall then 
develop a strategic plan outlining the RD&D needs for the programs and 
projects identified under the assessment. After this plan is developed, 
the Secretary would have the authority to apply the strategic plan to 
those appropriate projects identified as the most energy and water 
intensive and with the most potential to minimize freshwater withdrawal 
and consumption, increase water use efficiency, and utilize 
nontraditional water sources, among other considerations.
  The amended bill also requires interagency nonduplication and 
coordination. In addition, the amended bill establishes, in 
coordination with other relevant Federal agencies, an energy-water 
architecture council that will promote and enable improved energy and 
water resource data collection, reporting, and technological 
innovation.
  Ensuring adequate water supply for municipal and agricultural use and 
also energy production should be a primary area of focus for our 
country. Almost all of our energy sources, including renewable energy, 
require water to be productive, and, conversely, most water processes 
require energy to be useful. This bill is timely and needed in order to 
ensure that we use both resources efficiently and responsibly.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself about 2 minutes to 
close.
  Before we end debate today, I want to take a moment to say thank you 
to a policy adviser of mine that will be going on maternity leave 
shortly after and likely will not be returning to the Hill for a while.
  Elizabeth Kowal Chapel has been on my staff since September 1994 
helping me to serve the people of the Fourth Congressional District of 
Texas. She is originally from my hometown of Rockwall, Texas, and I was 
happy to hire her way back then as an intern from the University of 
Texas.
  I told her back then that she could be my intern for 3 months, and 
then we would see where we went from there. At the end of those 3 
months, she came to me and asked if she had to leave. I told her, 
``Baby Doll, you can stay as long as you like.'' She must have liked 
it, because over 15 years later, she is leaving me not for another job 
on the Hill but for the only job better than helping the folks in 
Texas--that's motherhood. Elizabeth and her husband, Christopher, are 
expecting a baby boy at the end of January, and I look forward to 
meeting him, and I hope that he'll be my intern during the year 2020.
  Elizabeth has served in my personal office and as my senior energy 
policy adviser on the Committee on Science and Technology and the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, two committees with some very complex 
issues. She has done a stellar job with a very heavy workload that she 
has carried with style and grace. Elizabeth has been a real asset to my 
staff. She has been a real friend, and she is going to be missed. Her 
cheerful disposition and commitment to her work have added a great deal 
to my work on both committees.
  I want to take the opportunity to say thank you and wish her the best 
of luck as a mother. I'm sure she will be just as successful at that 
job.
  I thank the Chair, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, let me, on behalf of the Democratic members 
of our Science and Tech Committee, wish Elizabeth Kowal Chapel the very 
best in the steps to come. May I also share the sentiment that the 
child be gifted with a sense of humor that so obviously prevails at the 
Science and Tech Committee meetings. We wish you the best.
  We have no further speakers from our side on behalf of the bill, Mr. 
Speaker.

[[Page H13372]]

However, I would like to make this final point of encouraging our 
colleagues to support H.R. 3598, which would put a primary focus, 
rightfully so, on water-related issues as the Department of Energy 
deals with the innovation economy that is sparked by energy efficiency 
and energy technology research. To do that optimizes the outcome, and I 
think it's a very strong bill.
  I congratulate the Chair and the ranking member on behalf of the work 
they've done on H.R. 3598.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3598, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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