[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S601-S602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself and Mr. Wyden):
  S. 1971. A bill to establish an interagency coordination committee or 
subcommittee with the leadership of the Department of Energy and the 
Department of the Interior, focused on the nexus between energy and 
water production, use, and efficiency, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, vast amounts of water are used every 
day to produce vital fuels and to cool powerplants in the United 
States. Without this water supply, most of our electricity would stop 
flowing and our economy and other essential functions would come to a 
complete stop. At the same time, a great deal of electricity is needed 
to treat, transport, and convey water across the country not only to 
support economic growth and well-being but also to sustain basic life. 
These inseparable links of ``water for energy'' and ``energy for 
water'' comprise the energy-water nexus.
  I believe that the Federal agencies can and must do more to ensure 
that we have the best possible data, technology, and know-how to ensure 
that this nexus is well understood and continuously optimized to 
sustain quality of life and promote economic growth. To that end, I am 
introducing a bill today entitled ``The Nexus of Energy and Water for 
Sustainability Act of 2014'' or the ``NEWS Act of 2014'' for short.
  The NEWS Act instructs the Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy to establish a committee or a subcommittee under the 
National Science and Technology Council to coordinate and streamline 
the activities of all Federal departments and agencies on energy-water 
nexus issues. This new panel will be cochaired by the Secretaries of 
Energy and Interior and will

[[Page S602]]

be tasked with identifying all relevant energy-water nexus activities 
across the Federal Government; enhancing the coordination of effective 
research and development activities, both ongoing and in the future; 
working to gather and disseminate data to enable better practices; and 
exploring relevant public-private collaboration. The bill also calls 
for the Office of Management and Budget to submit to the relevant 
congressional committees a so-called crosscut budget soon after 
enactment of this act. The cross-cut budget will detail various 
expenditures across the Federal Government related to energy-water 
activities and will greatly assist in our coordination and streamlining 
efforts.
  I believe this is a strong bill that deserves to be considered and 
passed in this Congress. I am grateful to Senator Wyden for sponsoring 
it with me, and look forward to working with every member in this 
Chamber to address these important issues.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1971

       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 ``Nexus of Energy and Water 
     for Sustainability Act of 2014'' or the ``NEWS Act of 2014''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
       (2) Energy-water nexus.--The term ``energy-water nexus'' 
     means the link between--
       (A) energy efficiency and the quantity of water needed to 
     produce fuels and energy; and
       (B) the quantity of energy needed to transport, reclaim, 
     and treat water .
       (3) NSTC.--The term ``NSTC'' means the National Science and 
     Technology Council.
       (4) Committee or subcommittee.--The term ``Committee or 
     Subcommittee'' means the Committee on Energy-Water Nexus for 
     Sustainability or the Subcommittee on Energy-Water Nexus for 
     Sustainability, whichever is established by section 3(a).

     SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION COMMITTEE.

       (a) Establishment.--The Director shall establish either a 
     committee or a subcommittee under the NSTC, to be known as 
     either the Committee on Energy-Water Nexus for Sustainability 
     or the Subcommittee on Energy-Water Nexus for Sustainability, 
     to carry out the duties described in subsection (c).
       (b) Administration.--
       (1) Chairs.--The Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the 
     Interior shall serve as co-chairs of the Committee or 
     Subcommittee.
       (2) Membership; staffing.--Membership and staffing shall be 
     determined by the NSTC.
       (c) Duties.--The Committee or Subcommittee shall--
       (1) serve as a forum for developing common Federal goals 
     and plans on energy-water nexus issues;
       (2) promote coordination of the activities of all Federal 
     departments and agencies on energy-water nexus issues, 
     including the activities of--
       (A) the Department of Energy;
       (B) the Department of the Interior;
       (C) the Corps of Engineers;
       (D) the Department of Agriculture;
       (E) the Department of Defense;
       (F) the Department of State;
       (G) the Environmental Protection Agency;
       (H) the Council on Environmental Quality;
       (I) the National Institute of Standards and Technology;
       (J) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
       (K) the National Science Foundation;
       (L) the Office of Management and Budget;
       (M) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and
       (N) such other Federal departments and agencies as the 
     Director or the Committee or Subcommittee consider 
     appropriate; and
       (3)(A) coordinate and develop capabilities for data 
     collection, categorization, and dissemination of data from 
     and to other Federal departments and agencies; and
       (B) engage in information exchange between Federal 
     departments and agencies--
       (i) to identify and document Federal and non-Federal 
     programs and funding opportunities that support basic and 
     applied research, development, and demonstration proposals to 
     advance the state of energy-water nexus related science and 
     technologies;
       (ii) if practicable, to leverage existing programs by 
     encouraging joint solicitations, block grants, and matching 
     programs with non-Federal entities; and
       (iii) to identify opportunities for public-private 
     partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, and grant 
     challenges.
       (d) Review; Termination.--At the end of the 10-year period 
     beginning on the date on which the Committee or Subcommittee 
     is established, the Director--
       (1) shall review the activities of the Committee or 
     Subcommittee and determine the relevance and effectiveness of 
     the Committee or Subcommittee; and
       (2) based on the determination made under paragraph (1), 
     may terminate the Committee or Subcommittee.

     SEC. 4. CROSSCUT BUDGET.

       Not later than 30 days after the President submits the 
     budget of the United States Government under section 1105 of 
     title 31, United States Code, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget shall submit to the Committee on Energy 
     and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on 
     Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
     the House of Representatives a report that contains--
       (1) an interagency budget crosscut report that--
       (A) displays the budget proposed, including any interagency 
     or intraagency transfer, for each of the Federal agencies 
     that carry out energy-water nexus projects for the upcoming 
     fiscal year, separately showing funding requested under both 
     preexisting authorities and under the new authorities granted 
     by this Act; and
       (B) identifies all expenditures since 2011 by the Federal 
     and State governments on energy-water nexus projects;
       (2) a detailed accounting of all funds received and 
     obligated by all Federal agencies and State agencies 
     responsible for implementing energy-water nexus projects 
     during the previous fiscal year;
       (3) a budget for the proposed energy-water nexus projects 
     (including a description of the project, authorization level, 
     and project status) to be carried out in the upcoming fiscal 
     year with the Federal portion of funds for energy-water nexus 
     programs; and
       (4) a listing of all energy-water nexus projects to be 
     undertaken in the upcoming fiscal year with the Federal 
     portion of funds for those projects.
                                 ______