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 deter-
mined 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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reauthorization of 
Water Desalination Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. WATER DESALINATION ACTIVITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall operate, 
manage and maintain facilities to carry out research, de-
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velopment, and demonstration activities to develop tech-
nologies and methods that promote brackish groundwater 
desalination as a viable method to increase water supply 
in a cost-effective manner. 
(b) OBJECTIVES; ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) OBJECTIVES.—The Secretary shall conduct 
demonstration projects— 
(A) to develop new water and energy tech-
nologies with widespread applicability; and 
(B) to create new supplies of usable water 
for municipal, agricultural, industrial, or envi-
ronmental purposes. 
(2) ACTIVITIES.—In operating, managing, and 
maintaining the facilities under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall carry out— 
(A) as a priority, the development of re-
newable energy technologies for integration with 
desalination technologies— 
(i) to reduce the capital and oper-
ational costs of desalination; 
(ii) to minimize the environmental im-
pacts of desalination; and 
(iii) to increase public acceptance of 
desalination as a viable water supply proc-
ess; 
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(B) research regarding various desalination 
processes, including improvements in reverse 
and forward osmosis technologies; 
(C) the development of innovative methods 
and technologies to reduce the volume and cost 
of desalination concentrated wastes (including 
the 
disposal 
of 
desalination 
concentrated 
wastes) in an environmentally sound manner; 
(D) an outreach program to create part-
nerships with States, academic institutions, pri-
vate entities, local public agencies, and other 
appropriate organizations to conduct research, 
development, and demonstration activities, in-
cluding the establishment of rental and other 
charges to provide revenue to help offset the 
costs of operating and maintaining the facility; 
and 
(E) an outreach program to educate the 
public on— 
(i) desalination and renewable energy 
technologies; and 
(ii) the benefits of using water in an 
efficient manner. 
(c) AUTHORITY OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary may 
enter into contracts or other agreements with, or make 
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grants to, appropriate entities to manage, operate, or oth-
erwise carry out this section, including an agreement with 
a local or regional academic institution or a consortium 
of institutions to manage research activities. 
(d) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 8 of the Water De-
salination Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 10301 note; Public Law 
104–298) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), in the first sentence, by 
striking ‘‘2011’’ and inserting ‘‘2016’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘$25,000,000 
for fiscal years 1997 through 2011’’ and inserting 
‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 through 
2016’’. 
Æ 
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