49–010 

Calendar No. 636 

113TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 113–296 

NEXUS OF ENERGY AND WATER FOR SUSTAINABILITY 

ACT 

DECEMBER 10, 2014.—Ordered to be printed 

Ms. LANDRIEU, from the Committee on Energy and Natural 

Resources, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 182] 

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was 

referred the bill (S. 1971) 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, having considered the same, reports favorably 

thereon with an amendment and recommends that the bill, as 

amended, do pass. 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

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) COMMITTEE OR SUBCOMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘Committee or Subcommittee’’ 

means the Committee on the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (or 

the ‘‘NEWS Committee’’) or the Subcommittee on the Nexus of Energy and 

Water for Sustainability (or the ‘‘NEWS Subcommittee’’), whichever is established by section 3(a). 

(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of the Office of 

Science and Technology Policy. 

(3) 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. 


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(4) GRAND CHALLENGES.—The term ‘‘Grand Challenges’’ means the 21st Century Grand Challenges program coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. 

(5) NSTC.—The term ‘‘NSTC’’ means the National Science and Technology 

Council. 

(6) RD&D ACTIVITIES.—The term ‘‘RD&D activities’’ means research, development, and demonstration activities. 

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 the Nexus of 

Energy and Water for Sustainability (or the ‘‘NEWS Committee’’) or the Subcommittee on the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (or the ‘‘NEWS Subcommittee’’), 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 RD&D activities; 

(2) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and biannually thereafter, issue a strategic plan on energy-water nexus RD&D activities 

priorities and objectives; 

(3) promote coordination of the activities of Federal departments and agencies 

on energy-water nexus RD&D activities, 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 

(4)(A) 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 

(B) 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 research, development, and 

demonstration proposals to advance 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 domestic and international public-private 

partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, information and data exchange, and Grand Challenges. 

(d) REVIEW; REPORT.—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, relevance, and effectiveness of the Committee 

or Subcommittee; and 

(2) 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 describing the 

results of the review conducted under paragraph (1) and a recommendation on 

whether the Committee or Subcommittee should continue. 


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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 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, 

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. 

PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

The purpose of S. 1971 is to establish an interagency coordination committee or subcommittee under the National Science and 

Technology Council, co-chaired by the Secretary of Energy and the 

Secretary of the Interior, to focus on the nexus between energy and 

water production, use, and efficiency. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Vast amounts of water are used every day to produce vital fuels 

and to cool power plants in the United States. Without this water 

supply, most of our electricity would cease 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. 

Congress has long recognized the inextricable linkage and mutual dependence of energy and water. Section 979 of the Energy 

Policy Act of 2005 directed the Secretary of Energy to carry out a 

research and development program on energy-related issues associated with the provision of adequate water supplies and on waterrelated issues associated with the provision of adequate supplies 

and efficient use of energy, and to assess the effectiveness of existing programs of the Department of Energy and other federal agencies to address energy-water nexus issues. Similarly, the Secure 

Water Act, subtitle F or title IX of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, recognized the need for systematic data-gathering on the nation’s water resources to ensure sufficient quantities 

of water to support energy production, authorized water conservation grant programs within the Bureau of Reclamation, directed 

the Secretary of Energy to assess water supplies needed to generate hydroelectric power at federal power marketing administration projects, and enhanced collection of data on water by the 

United States Geological Survey. The Government Accountability 

Office has also issued several reports on the energy-water nexus 

and called for better coordination of federal programs addressing 

the energy-water nexus. GAO, Energy-Water Nexus: Coordinated 

Federal Approach Needed to Better Manage Energy and Water 

Tradeoffs, GAO–12–880 (Sept. 2012). 

S. 1971 is needed to provide better coordination, management, 

and streamlining of science and technology research, development, 


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and demonstration activities related to the energy-water nexus 

across the Federal Government by establishing a coordinating 

mechanism within the Cabinet-level National Science and Technology Council, which is the principal office within the executive 

branch for coordinating science and technology policy across the 

Federal Government. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 1971 was introduced by Senator Murkowski on January 29, 

2014. Senators Landrieu, Wyden, Schatz, Baldwin, and Udall of 

New Mexico are cosponsors. The Subcommittee on Water and 

Power held a hearing on S. 1971 on June 25, 2014 (S. Hrg. 113– 

428). At its business meeting on November 13, 2014, the Committee ordered S. 1971 favorably reported with an amendment in 

the nature of a substitute. 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in 

open business session on November 13, 2014, by a voice vote of a 

quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 1971, if 

amended as described herein. Senator Barrasso asked to be recorded as voting no. 

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During its consideration of S. 1971, the Committee adopted an 

amendment in the nature of a substitute, which clarifies the role 

of Congress in determining how long the Nexus of Energy and 

Water for Sustainability Committee or Subcommittee will continue 

to exist and makes technical corrections. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 provides that the Act may be cited as the ‘‘Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2014’’ or the ‘‘NEWS Act 

of 2014.’’ 

Section 2 defines key terms. 

Section 3(a) establishes the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Committee or Subcommittee under the National Science 

and Technology Council. Subsection (b) designates the Secretary of 

Energy and the Secretary of the Interior as co-chairs of the Committee or Subcommittee. Subsection (c) lists the duties of the Committee or Subcommittee, which include: serving as a forum for developing goals and plans on energy-water nexus research, development, and demonstration activities; issuing biannual strategic 

plans on energy-water nexus research, development, and demonstration activities priorities and objectives; facilitating data collection, management, and dissemination of information related to 

energy-water nexus research, development, and demonstration activities; promoting information exchange; and identifying opportunities for public-private partnerships. Subsection (d) requires the 

Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to review 

the activities, relevance, and effectiveness of the Committee or Subcommittee ten years after it is established, to report the results of 

the review, and to recommend whether the Committee or Subcommittee should continue. 


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Section 4 requires the development and submission of a crosscut 

budget by the Office of Management and Budget to the Senate 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the House Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, Energy and Commerce, 

and Natural Resources. 

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The Congressional Budget Office estimate of the costs of this 

measure has been requested but was not received at the time the 

report was filed. When the Congressional Budget Office completes 

its cost estimate, it will be posted on the Internet at www.cbo.gov. 

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation 

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out 

S. 1971. 

The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing 

Government established standards or any economic responsibilities 

on private individuals and businesses. 

No personal information would be collected in administering the 

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy. 

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 1971. 

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

The statements of the witnesses from the Department of Energy 

and the Department of the Interior at the Subcommittee on Water 

and Power hearing on S. 1971 on June 25, 2014 follow: 

STATEMENT OF TOM ISEMAN, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR WATER AND SCIENCE, DEPARTMENT OF THE

INTERIOR

Chairman Schatz, Ranking Member Lee and members of 

the Subcommittee, I am Tom Iseman, Deputy Assistant 

Secretary for Water and Science at the Department of the 

Interior (Department). Thank you for the opportunity to 

testify on S. 1971, Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2014. The Administration has not completed 

its review of S. 1971 in conjunction with the report issued 

by the Department of Energy last week, entitled The Energy-Water Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities (U.S. Department of Energy 2014). The bill would create a Committee or Subcommittee on Energy-Water Nexus for Sustainability under the National Science and Technology 

Council (NSTC), co-chaired by the Secretary of Energy and 

Secretary of the Interior. The Department has a number 

of existing programs that address many of these energywater nexus issues, some of which are summarized below. 

Founded in 1879, the USGS is the Nation’s largest 

water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping 

agency. The USGS collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems. The USGS provides imparVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:24 Dec 20, 2014 Jkt 049010 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR296.XXX SR296

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tial scientific information on the health of our ecosystems 

and environment, the water and energy resources we rely 

on, and the impacts of climate and land-use change. With 

a diversity of scientific expertise, the USGS carries out 

large-scale, multi-disciplinary investigations and provides 

scientific information to resource managers, planners, and 

other customers. 

Reclamation owns and operates water projects that promote and sustain economic development within the 17 

western States. The mission of Reclamation is to manage, 

develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Since it was established in 

1902, Reclamation has constructed more than 600 dams 

and reservoirs including Hoover Dam on the Colorado 

River and Grand Coulee on the Columbia River. Reclamation is the largest wholesaler of water in the country, delivering water to more than 31 million people, and providing one out of five western farmers with irrigation 

water for 10 million acres of farmland across the United 

States. Reclamation is also the second largest producer of 

hydroelectric power in the United States, and provides significant amounts of renewable energy to customers 

throughout the West. 

EXISTING PROGRAMS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

The Department recognizes the importance of the energy-water nexus and supports a closer level of communication and coordination between the Department of the 

Interior, Department of Energy and the broader federal 

community. The Department of the Interior appreciates 

the Committee’s leadership on the energy-water nexus 

issue. Energy and water issues intersect across a range of 

Interior activities, including hydropower generation, energy development, electricity generation, and water treatment, distribution, and conservation. Interior has a variety 

of programs that address the energy-water nexus, including USGS monitoring systems and research programs (including the National Water Census), Reclamation Basin 

Studies, and WaterSMART Grants. Understanding the 

value of interagency coordination, Interior has partnered 

with the Department of Energy and the Department of the 

Army (working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) 

through a 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to 

collaboratively address a host of energy-water nexus issues 

related to hydropower. By coordinating efforts, the signatory agencies have completed a number of projects that 

promote sustainable hydropower development, including 

hydropower resource assessments, unit-dispatch optimization systems, climate change studies, integrated basinscale opportunity assessments, and funding opportunities 

to demonstrate new small hydropower technologies. 

The Department is committed to integrating energy and 

water policies to promote the sustainable use of all resources, including incorporating water conservation criVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:24 Dec 20, 2014 Jkt 049010 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR296.XXX SR296

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1Withdrawals are defined as water removed from the ground or diverted from a surface-water 

source for use. 

teria and the water/energy nexus into the Department’s 

planning efforts. On June 9, 2014, the Department announced that Reclamation will make $17.8 million in 

WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grants available to 36 new and ongoing projects in the Western United 

States for activities such as conserving and using water 

more efficiently, increasing the use of renewable energy, 

improving energy efficiency, encouraging water markets, 

and carrying out activities to address climate-related impacts on water. Reclamation also announced that it will 

make $1.8 million available for comprehensive water basin 

studies conducted jointly with state and local partners in 

the Upper Red River Basin in Oklahoma, Upper Deschutes 

River Basin in Oregon, and Missouri River Headwaters 

Basin in Montana. These announcements support the 

President’s Climate Action Plan by providing tools for 

states and water users to create water supply resilience to 

meet future water and energy demands in the face of a 

changing climate. 

Water and Energy Efficiency Grants and Basin Studies 

are part of the Department’s WaterSMART Program. 

WaterSMART Grants provide cost-shared funding to 

States, tribes, and other entities with water or power delivery authority for water efficiency improvements, with 

additional consideration given to proposals that include energy savings as a part of planned water efficiency improvements. Water management improvements that incorporate 

renewable energy sources are also prioritized for 

WaterSMART Grant funding. These grants directly address the energy-water nexus and provide a concrete 

means of implementing on-the-ground solutions to energywater issues. The FY 2014 Water and Energy Efficiency 

Grant projects are expected to conserve more than 67,000 

acre-feet of water annually and 22.9 million kilowatt-hours 

of electricity—enough water for more than 250,000 people 

and enough electricity for more than 2,000 households. 

Basin Studies are collaborative studies, cost-shared with 

non-Federal partners, which analyze how climate change 

may affect water supply, demand and operations in the future and identify adaptation strategies to address imbalances in water supply and demand. 

In addition to long-standing USGS efforts in water supply and availability and in energy resource assessments 

and research, which provide an essential foundation for 

understanding issues related to the energy-water nexus, 

the USGS participates in a number of interagency efforts. 

The USGS has been working with the Energy Information 

Administration (EIA) since 2010 to improve estimates of 

water withdrawals 1 and consumptive use associated with 

cooling water at thermoelectric generating plants across 

the Nation. Cooling water for such plants is the largest 

sector of water withdrawals in the United States, at 49% 


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of all water withdrawals nationwide, according to USGS 

Circular 1344, Estimated Use of Water in the United 

States in 2005. A recent USGS report, Methods for Estimating Water Consumption for Thermoelectric Power 

Plants in the United States (Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5188), documents the model that the USGS developed with the assistance of the EIA for estimating electric generating plant water withdrawals and consumptive 

use, which are currently not consistently reported. This 

ground-breaking model, which incorporates the heat budget of each of the approximately 1,300 thermoelectric generating plants that rely on water for cooling, can be used 

both to estimate current and historical water use and to 

forecast future water use with different plant configurations and cooling water technologies. 

In addition to the efforts above, the FY 2015 President’s 

Budget requests an additional $2 million for the USGS to 

provide water use grants to States that will increase availability and quality of water use data including data related 

to water used for energy. These grants would provide financial resources, through State water resources agencies, 

to improve the availability and quality of water use data 

that they collect and would integrate those data with the 

USGS Water Census. Funding provided to States through 

these grants would be targeted at improvements to water 

use data collection and integration that will be of the 

greatest benefit to a national assessment of water availability and use. As the energy sector is a primary user of 

water, increased availability of water use information related to energy will be an important part of this effort. 

In mid-April 2014, the USGS released an expanded and 

updated version of the USGS oil, gas, and geothermal Produced Waters Database and Map Viewer; the revised database contains nearly 100,000 new samples from conventional and unconventional well types, including geothermal. The availability of more samples and more types 

of analyses will help farmers determine the quality of local 

produced water available for possible remediation and 

reuse, will enable local and national resource managers to 

track the composition of trace elements, and will help industry plan for waste-water injection and recycling. 

The Powder River Basin in northern Wyoming and 

southern Montana has experienced a rapid expansion in 

the development of coalbed natural gas. About 90 billion liters of water were produced annually in the Wyoming portion of the Basin between 2002 and 2011 as part of the extraction process. The produced waters are moderately saline and have high proportions of sodium relative to calcium and magnesium, thus rendering the waters unsuitable for irrigation without treatment. USGS studies have 

examined the environmental impacts of different disposal 

options. Results indicated that infiltration impoundments 

had the potential to contaminate underlying fresh groundwater supplies, but that with specific treatment the produced waters could be used in subsurface drip irrigation 


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operations that minimized potential for groundwater contamination and provided beneficial use of the waters to enhance agricultural production in this semiarid region. 

Other Departmental programs and activities relate directly to the energy-water nexus, including hydropower development, water treatment and desalination, pumping 

and water delivery, BLM energy permitting, and USGS research on energy resources and induced seismicity. We are 

happy to provide the Committee with additional information on these programs as needed. 

S. 1971, NEXUS OF ENERGY AND WATER FOR SUSTAINABILITY

ACT OF 2014

Section 3 of S. 1971 requires the Director of the Office 

of Science and Technology Policy to establish either a Committee or Subcommittee on Energy-Water Nexus for Sustainability under the NSTC, co-chaired by the Secretary of 

Energy and Secretary of the Interior. The Committee or 

Subcommittee is directed to: (1) serve as a forum for developing common federal goals and plans on energy-water 

nexus issues; (2) promote coordination of the related activities of several federal departments and agencies identified 

in the bill; (3) coordinate and develop capabilities for data 

collection, categorization, and dissemination of data from 

and to other federal departments and agencies; and (4) engage in information exchange between federal departments 

and agencies. 

Section 4 of S. 1971 requires the Director of the Office 

of Management and Budget to submit to Congress a report 

that includes an interagency budget crosscut that: (1) displays the budget proposed for the upcoming fiscal year, including any interagency or intra-agency transfer, for each 

of the federal agencies that carry out energy-water nexus 

projects and (2) identifies all federal and state expenditures since 2011 on energy-water nexus projects. The report to Congress would also provide a detailed accounting 

of all funds received and obligated by all Federal and State 

agencies with energy-water implementation responsibilities during the previous fiscal year and list all energywater nexus projects to be undertaken in the upcoming fiscal year, with the federal portion of funds for those 

projects. 

The Department appreciates the Committee’s leadership 

and the opportunity to strengthen capabilities to address 

the energy-water nexus. Given the breadth and many facets of this issue, we support close collaboration with the 

DOE and other Federal agencies. Moving forward, we 

would like to continue working with the Committee on preliminary concerns regarding the details of the collaborative 

structure and reporting provisions on issues related to the 

nexus of energy and water. The Department supports 

interagency collaboration and information sharing to support sound decision-making, leverage resources, and reduce duplication. But, the Administration believes this can 

be done through more effective and efficient collaboration 


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and program management, rather than an unduly and potentially ineffective reporting requirement. 

If enacted, it is the Department’s view that the committee or subcommittee created under S. 1971 should focus 

its attention on key vulnerabilities where there is an appropriate federal role and capability to have a positive impact. It is the Department’s view that that focus should be 

on data gaps associated with water use and availability. 

Water availability, severe drought, and long-term climate trends have always posed a significant risk to energy 

development and electric generation. This is one of the 

broad, systemic risks at the core of the energy-water 

nexus. Decreased water availability, prolonged drought, 

and more pronounced climate trends could increase that 

risk and require the use of accelerated adaptation strategies. 

The Department supports the type of coordination and 

data exchange encouraged under S. 1971 and is already 

undertaking a number of steps to do so as discussed in the 

testimony above. Such efforts could help close existing 

gaps, increasing our understanding of water supply availability to benefit water and energy decision makers. 

If enacted, S. 1971 may present challenges to the Department. The Department would need to evaluate whether the commitments and reporting requirements in the bill 

may require additional resources to carry them out. Additionally, while S. 1971 allows for the coordination of federal activities, the Department would like to stress the importance of providing the scientific community with autonomy to design and execute studies. Finally, States play the 

key role in allocating and administering water, and they 

must be a partner in energy-water efforts. S. 1971 does not 

address the important relationships with states and the 

private sector, where significant work on energy-water 

nexus projects is accomplished. Finally, as drafted, it is 

unclear to the Department what qualifies as an ‘‘energywater nexus project’’ under S. 1971. 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the Department shares the Committee’s 

goals to promote coordination between Federal agencies as 

it relates to the energy-water nexus. We appreciate the 

leadership of this Committee in engaging Federal agencies. 

The Department has numerous programs in place that encourage coordination not only within the Federal Government, but as public-private partnerships. The Federal Government has a role in providing leadership and tools to address the challenges of imbalance between supply and demand. Sustainable water supplies and energy use are important parts of a stable economic base, employment continuity, and smart growth. 

I would be pleased to answer any questions the Subcommittee may have. 


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CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law are made by the bill, S. 1971, as ordered reported. 

Æ 


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