SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Energy and Water Re-
search Integration Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ENERGY AND WATER RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy shall as-
sess each of the energy research, development, and dem-
onstration programs and projects of the Department of 
Energy and identify those programs and projects into 
which it is appropriate to integrate water considerations. 
In carrying out this section the Secretary shall, as appro-
priate— 
(1) seek to advance energy and energy effi-
ciency technologies and practices that would— 
(A) minimize freshwater withdrawal and 
consumption; 
(B) increase water use efficiency; and 
(C) utilize nontraditional water sources 
with efforts to improve the quality of that 
water; 
(2) consider the effects climate variability and 
change may have on water supplies and quality for 
energy generation and fuel production; and 
(3) improve understanding of the energy re-
quired to provide water supplies and the water re-
quired to provide reliable energy supplies throughout 
the United States.
(b) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Energy shall develop a Strategic Plan (in 
this section referred to as the ‘‘Strategic Plan’’) out-
lining the research, development, and demonstration 
needs for the programs and projects identified under 
subsection (a), in accordance with subsections (a) 
through (c) of this section, as appropriate. 
(2) MILESTONES
AND
SPECIFIC
CONSIDER-
ATIONS.—In carrying out the development and up-
dating of the Strategic Plan in accordance with this 
subsection, the Secretary shall evaluate and, as ap-
propriate, establish technical milestones for— 
(A) new advanced cooling technologies for 
energy generation and fuel production tech-
nologies; 
(B) performance improvement of existing 
cooling technologies and cost reductions associ-
ated with using those technologies; 
(C) innovative water reuse, recovery, and 
treatment in energy generation and fuel produc-
tion;
(D) technology development for carbon 
capture and storage systems that utilize effi-
cient water use design strategies; 
(E) technologies that are life-cycle cost ef-
fective; 
(F) systems analysis and modeling of 
issues relating to the energy required to provide 
water supplies and the water required to pro-
vide reliable energy supplies throughout the 
United States; 
(G) technologies to treat and utilize pro-
duced waters discharged from oil, natural gas, 
coalbed methane, and mining activities; 
(H) advanced materials for the use of non-
traditional water sources for energy generation 
and fuel production; 
(I) biomass production and utilization and 
the impact on hydrologic systems; 
(J) technologies that reduce impacts on 
water from energy resource development; 
(K) increases in energy efficiency of water 
distribution and collection systems; 
(L) technologies for energy generation 
from water distribution and collection systems; 
and
(M) any other area of the energy-water 
nexus that the Secretary considers appropriate. 
(3) INTERAGENCY COLLABORATION AND NON-
DUPLICATION.—In carrying out the development and 
updating of the Strategic Plan in accordance with 
this subsection, the Secretary shall, where appro-
priate, work collaboratively with other Federal agen-
cies operating related programs and avoid duplica-
tion. 
(4) INTRA-AGENCY
COORDINATION
AND
NON-
DUPLICATION.—In carrying out the development and 
updating of the Strategic Plan in accordance with 
this subsection, the Secretary shall coordinate and 
avoid duplication of activities across programs and 
projects of the Department of Energy, including 
with those of the National laboratories. 
(5) 
RELEVANT
INFORMATION
AND
REC-
OMMENDATIONS.—In carrying out the development 
and updating of the Strategic Plan in accordance 
with this subsection, the Secretary shall consider 
and incorporate, as appropriate, relevant information 
and recommendations, including those of the Na-
tional Water Availability and Use Assessment Pro-
gram under section 9508(d) of the Omnibus Public
Land Management Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 
10368(d)). 
(6) NONGOVERNMENTAL
PARTICIPATION.—In 
carrying out the development and updating of the 
Strategic Plan in accordance with this subsection, 
the Secretary shall consult and coordinate with a di-
verse group of representatives from research and 
academic institutions and industry who have exper-
tise in technologies and practices relating to the en-
ergy required to provide water supplies and the 
water required to provide reliable energy supplies 
throughout the United States. 
(7) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall submit to Congress the Strategic 
Plan. 
(8) UPDATING
THE
STRATEGIC
PLAN.—Not 
later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall utilize relevant informa-
tion produced by Federal Government agencies, aca-
demia, and industry to update the Strategic Plan, 
and submit a report to Congress describing the 
changes from the initial Strategic Plan. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall implement the Strategic Plan, as appropriate, 
in carrying out energy research, development, and 
demonstration programs of the Department of En-
ergy. 
(2) APPLICATION
TO
PROJECTS.—Not later 
than 3 months after the submission of the report to 
Congress in subsection (b)(7)), the Secretary shall 
as 
appropriate 
apply 
the 
Strategic 
Plan 
to 
projects— 
(A) identified as the most energy and 
water intensive; and 
(B) with the most potential to achieve the 
purposes of this section. 
(3) DELAY OR DISRUPTION.—In carrying out 
this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that no 
program or project of the Department is unneces-
sarily delayed or disrupted. 
(d) REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and at least once every 2 years 
thereafter, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a re-
port on its findings and activities under this section. 
(e) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary may 
provide for such additional research, development, and 
demonstration activities as may be appropriate to inte-
grate water considerations into the research, development, 
and demonstration activities of the Department as de-
scribed in subsection (a). 
(f) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En-
ergy for carrying out this section $60,000,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2011 through 2015. 
SEC. 3. ENERGY-WATER ARCHITECTURE COUNCIL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy, in co-
ordination with other relevant Federal agencies, shall es-
tablish an Energy-Water Architecture Council to promote 
and enable improved energy and water resource data col-
lection, reporting, and technological innovation. The Coun-
cil shall consist of— 
(1) representation from each Federal agency 
that conducts research related to energy and water 
resource data; and 
(2) non-Federal members, including representa-
tives of research and academic institutions and in-
dustry, who have expertise in technologies and prac-
tices relating to the energy required to provide water 
supplies and the water required to provide reliable 
energy supplies throughout the United States. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The Council shall—
(1) make recommendations on the development 
of data collection and data communication standards 
and protocols to agencies and entities currently en-
gaged in collecting the data for the energy required 
to provide water supplies and the water required to 
provide reliable energy supplies throughout the 
United States; 
(2) recommend ways to make improvements to 
Federal water use data to increase understanding of 
trends in energy generation and fuel production; 
(3) recommend best practices for utilizing infor-
mation from existing monitoring networks to provide 
nationally uniform water and energy use and infra-
structure data; and 
(4) conduct annual technical workshops, includ-
ing at least one regional workshop annually, to fa-
cilitate information exchange among Federal, State, 
and private sector experts on technologies that en-
courage the conservation and efficient use of water 
and energy. 
(c) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and at least once every 2 years 
thereafter, the Council, through the Secretary of Energy, 
shall transmit to the Congress a report on its findings and 
activities under this section.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En-
ergy for carrying out this section $5,000,000 for each of 
the fiscal years 2011 through 2015. 
SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON FEDERAL REGULATIONS. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow the 
establishment of regulations by the Federal Government 
that would infringe or impair the use of water by State, 
tribal, or local governments. 
SEC. 5. MANDATES. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require 
State, tribal, or local governments to take any action that 
may result in an increased financial burden to such gov-
ernments by restricting the use of water by such govern-
ments. 
SEC. 6. COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION. 
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of 
Energy shall coordinate activities under this Act with 
other programs of the Department of Energy and other 
Federal research programs. 
Passed the House of Representatives December 1, 
2009. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 3598 
AN ACT 
To ensure consideration of water intensity in the 
Department of Energy’s energy research, devel-
opment, and demonstration programs to help 
guarantee efficient, reliable, and sustainable de-
livery of energy and water resources.