I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2664 

To reauthorize the Water Desalination Act of 1996, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2011 

Mrs. NAPOLITANO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on 

Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Water Desalination Act of 1996, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reauthorization of 

5 Water Desalination Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. WATER DESALINATION ACTIVITIES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior (re8 ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall operate, 

9 manage and maintain facilities to carry out research, deVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:15 Jul 28, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664

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1 velopment, and demonstration activities to develop tech2 nologies and methods that promote brackish groundwater 

3 desalination as a viable method to increase water supply 

4 in a cost-effective manner. 

5 (b) OBJECTIVES; ACTIVITIES.— 

6 (1) OBJECTIVES.—The Secretary shall conduct 

7 demonstration projects— 

8 (A) to develop new water and energy tech9 nologies with widespread applicability; and 

10 (B) to create new supplies of usable water 

11 for municipal, agricultural, industrial, or envi12 ronmental purposes. 

13 (2) ACTIVITIES.—In operating, managing, and 

14 maintaining the facilities under subsection (a), the 

15 Secretary shall carry out— 

16 (A) as a priority, the development of re17 newable energy technologies for integration with 

18 desalination technologies— 

19 (i) to reduce the capital and oper20 ational costs of desalination; 

21 (ii) to minimize the environmental im22 pacts of desalination; and 

23 (iii) to increase public acceptance of 

24 desalination as a viable water supply proc25 ess; 


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1 (B) research regarding various desalination 

2 processes, including improvements in reverse 

3 and forward osmosis technologies; 

4 (C) the development of innovative methods 

5 and technologies to reduce the volume and cost 

6 of desalination concentrated wastes (including 

7 the disposal of desalination concentrated 

8 wastes) in an environmentally sound manner; 

9 (D) an outreach program to create part10 nerships with States, academic institutions, pri11 vate entities, local public agencies, and other 

12 appropriate organizations to conduct research, 

13 development, and demonstration activities, in14 cluding the establishment of rental and other 

15 charges to provide revenue to help offset the 

16 costs of operating and maintaining the facility; 

17 and 

18 (E) an outreach program to educate the 

19 public on— 

20 (i) desalination and renewable energy 

21 technologies; and 

22 (ii) the benefits of using water in an 

23 efficient manner. 

24 (c) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary may 

25 enter into contracts or other agreements with, or make 


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1 grants to, appropriate entities to manage, operate, or oth2 erwise carry out this section, including an agreement with 

3 a local or regional academic institution or a consortium 

4 of institutions to manage research activities. 

5 (d) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 8 of the Water De6 salination Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 10301 note; Public Law 

7 104–298) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence, by 

9 striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting ‘‘2016’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$25,000,000 

11 for fiscal years 1997 through 2011’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 

13 2016’’. 

Æ 


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