[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2799 Reported in Senate (RS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 362
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2799
To require the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior to
establish a joint Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability Office, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 6, 2019
Ms. Murkowski introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
December 17, 2019
Reported by Ms. Murkowski, with an amendment
[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior to
establish a joint Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability Office, 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 ``Nexus of Energy and Water for
Sustainability Act of 2019'' or the ``NEWS Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. NEXUS OF ENERGY AND WATER FOR SUSTAINABILITY.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Energy-water nexus.--The term ``energy-water nexus''
means the links between--
(A) the water needed to produce fuels, electricity,
and other forms of energy; and
(B) the energy needed to transport, reclaim, and
treat water and wastewater.
(2) Interagency coordination committee.--The term
``Interagency Coordination Committee'' means the Committee on
the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (or the ``NEWS
Committee'') established under subsection (b)(1).
(3) Nexus of energy and water sustainability office; news
office.--The term ``Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability
Office'' or the ``NEWS Office'' means an office located at the
Department of Energy and managed in cooperation with the
Department of the Interior pursuant to an agreement between the
2 agencies to carry out leadership and administrative functions
for the Interagency Coordination Committee.
(4) RD&D.--The term ``RD&D'' means research, development,
and demonstration.
(b) Interagency Coordination Committee.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy and the
Secretary of the Interior shall establish the joint NEWS Office
and Interagency Coordination Committee on the Nexus of Energy
and Water for Sustainability (or the ``NEWS Committee'') to
carry out the duties described in paragraph (3).
(2) Administration.--
(A) Chairs.--The Secretary of Energy and the
Secretary of the Interior shall jointly manage the NEWS
Office and serve as co-chairs of the Interagency
Coordination Committee.
(B) Membership; staffing.--Membership and staffing
shall be determined by the co-chairs.
(3) Duties.--The Interagency Coordination Committee shall--
(A) serve as a forum for developing common Federal
goals and plans on energy-water nexus RD&D activities
in coordination with the National Science and
Technology Council;
(B) not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter, issue
a strategic plan on energy-water nexus RD&D activities
priorities and objectives;
(C) convene and promote coordination of the
activities of Federal departments and agencies on
energy-water nexus RD&D activities, including the
activities of--
(i) the Department of Energy;
(ii) the Department of the Interior;
(iii) the Corps of Engineers;
(iv) the Department of Agriculture;
(v) the Department of Defense;
(vi) the Department of State;
(vii) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(viii) the Council on Environmental
Quality;
(ix) the National Institute of Standards
and Technology;
(x) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
(xi) the National Science Foundation;
(xii) the Office of Management and Budget;
(xiii) the Office of Science and Technology
Policy;
(xiv) the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration; and
(xv) such other Federal departments and
agencies as the Interagency Coordination
Committee considers appropriate;
(D)(i) coordinate and develop capabilities and
methodologies for data collection, management, and
dissemination of information related to energy-water
nexus RD&D activities from and to other Federal
departments and agencies; and
(ii) promote 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 RD&D proposals to
advance energy-water nexus related
science and technologies;
(II) to leverage existing programs
by encouraging joint solicitations,
block grants, and matching programs
with non-Federal entities; and
(III) to identify opportunities for
domestic and international public-
private partnerships, innovative
financing mechanisms, and information
and data exchange;
(E) promote the integration of energy-water nexus
considerations into existing Federal water, energy, and
other natural resource, infrastructure, and science
programs at the national and regional levels and with
programs administered in partnership with non-Federal
entities; and
(F) not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, issue a report on the potential
benefits and feasibility of establishing an energy-
water center of excellence within the National
Laboratories (as that term is defined in section 2 of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)).
(4) No regulation.--Nothing in this subsection grants to
the Interagency Coordination Committee the authority to
promulgate regulations or set standards.
(5) Review; report.--At the end of the 5-year period
beginning on the date on which the Interagency Coordination
Committee and NEWS Office are established, the NEWS Office
shall--
(A) review the activities, relevance, and
effectiveness of the Interagency Coordination
Committee; and
(B) submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate and the Committees on Science,
Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, and Natural
Resources of the House of Representatives a report
that--
(i) describes the results of the review
conducted under subparagraph (A); and
(ii) includes a recommendation on whether
the Interagency Coordination Committee should
continue.
(c) 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 co-chairs of the Interagency
Coordination Committee (acting through the NEWS Office) shall submit to
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the
Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, and
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives, an interagency
budget crosscut report that displays at the program-, project-, and
activity-level for each of the Federal agencies that carry out or
support (including through grants, contracts, interagency and
intraagency transfers, and multiyear and no-year funds) basic and
applied RD&D activities to advance the energy-water nexus related
science and technologies--
(1) the budget proposed in the budget request of the
President for the upcoming fiscal year;
(2) expenditures and obligations for the prior fiscal year;
and
(3) estimated expenditures and obligations for the current
fiscal year.
SEC. 3. SMART ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Subtitle A of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16191 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 918. SMART ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY PILOT PROGRAM.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a utility;
``(B) a municipality;
``(C) a water district;
``(D) an Indian tribe or Alaska Native village; and
``(E) any other authority that provides water,
wastewater, or water reuse services.
``(2) Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program.--The
term `smart energy and water efficiency pilot program' or
`pilot program' means the pilot program established under
subsection (b).
``(b) Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Pilot Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and carry
out a smart energy and water efficiency pilot program in
accordance with this section.
``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the smart energy and water
efficiency pilot program is to award grants to eligible
entities to demonstrate unique, advanced, or innovative
technology-based solutions that will--
``(A) improve the net energy balance of water,
wastewater, and water reuse systems;
``(B) improve the net energy balance of water,
wastewater, and water reuse systems to help communities
across the United States make measurable progress in
conserving water, saving energy, and reducing costs;
``(C) support the implementation of innovative and
unique processes and the installation of established
advanced automated systems that provide real-time data
on energy and water; and
``(D) improve energy-water conservation and quality
and predictive maintenance through technologies that
utilize internet connected technologies, including
sensors, intelligent gateways, and security embedded in
hardware.
``(3) Project selection.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make
competitive, merit-reviewed grants under the pilot
program to not less than 3, but not more than 5,
eligible entities.
``(B) Selection criteria.--In selecting an eligible
entity to receive a grant under the pilot program, the
Secretary shall consider--
``(i) energy and cost savings;
``(ii) the uniqueness, commercial
viability, and reliability of the technology to
be used;
``(iii) the degree to which the project
integrates next-generation sensors software,
analytics, and management tools;
``(iv) the anticipated cost-effectiveness
of the pilot project through measurable energy
savings, water savings or reuse, and
infrastructure costs averted;
``(v) whether the technology can be
deployed in a variety of geographic regions and
the degree to which the technology can be
implemented in a wide range of applications
ranging in scale from small towns to large
cities, including tribal communities;
``(vi) whether the technology has been
successfully deployed elsewhere;
``(vii) whether the technology was sourced
from a manufacturer based in the United States;
and
``(viii) whether the project will be
completed in 5 years or less.
``(C) Applications.--
``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii),
an eligible entity seeking a grant under the
pilot program shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary
determines to be necessary.
``(ii) Contents.--An application under
clause (i) shall, at a minimum, include--
``(I) a description of the project;
``(II) a description of the
technology to be used in the project;
``(III) the anticipated results,
including energy and water savings, of
the project;
``(IV) a comprehensive budget for
the project;
``(V) the names of the project lead
organization and any partners;
``(VI) the number of users to be
served by the project;
``(VII) a description of the ways
in which the proposal would meet
performance measures established by the
Secretary; and
``(VIII) any other information that
the Secretary determines to be
necessary to complete the review and
selection of a grant recipient.
``(4) Administration.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall
select grant recipients under this section.
``(B) Evaluations.--
``(i) Annual evaluations.--The Secretary
shall annually carry out an evaluation of each
project for which a grant is provided under
this section that meets performance measures
and benchmarks developed by the Secretary,
consistent with the purposes of this section.
``(ii) Requirements.--Consistent with the
performance measures and benchmarks developed
under clause (i), in carrying out an evaluation
under that clause, the Secretary shall--
``(I) evaluate the progress and
impact of the project; and
``(II) assesses the degree to which
the project is meeting the goals of the
pilot program.
``(C) Technical and policy assistance.--On the
request of a grant recipient, the Secretary shall
provide technical and policy assistance.
``(D) Best practices.--The Secretary shall make
available to the public through the Internet and other
means the Secretary considers to be appropriate--
``(i) a copy of each evaluation carried out
under subparagraph (B); and
``(ii) a description of any best practices
identified by the Secretary as a result of
those evaluations.
``(E) Report to congress.--The Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report containing the results of
each evaluation carried out under subparagraph (B).
<DELETED> ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to
remain available until expended.</DELETED>
``(c) Funding.--The Secretary shall use funds made available to the
Secretary and not otherwise obligated to carry out this section.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58; 119 Stat. 594) is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 917 the following:
``Sec. 918. Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program.''.
Calendar No. 362
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2799
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior to
establish a joint Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability Office, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
December 17, 2019
Reported with an amendment