110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2339 
AN ACT 
To encourage research, development, and demonstration of 
technologies to facilitate the utilization of water produced 
in connection with the development of domestic energy 
resources, 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 ‘‘Produced Water Utili-
zation Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) PRODUCED WATER.—The term ‘‘produced 
water’’ means water from an underground source 
that is brought to the surface as part of the process 
of exploration for or development of coalbed meth-
ane, oil, natural gas, or any other substance to be 
used as an energy source. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
SEC. 3 PURPOSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out 
under this Act a program of research, development, and 
demonstration of technologies for environmentally sustain-
able utilization of produced water for agricultural, 
irrigational, municipal, and industrial uses, or other envi-
ronmentally sustainable purposes. The program shall be 
designed to maximize the utilization of produced water in 
the United States by increasing the quality of produced 
water and reducing the environmental impacts of produced 
water. 
(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program under this 
Act shall address the following areas, including improving
safety and minimizing environmental impacts of activities 
within each area: 
(1) Produced water recovery, including research 
for desalination and demineralization to reduce total 
dissolved solids in the produced water. 
(2) Produced water utilization for agricultural, 
irrigational, municipal, and industrial uses, or other 
environmentally sustainable purposes. 
(3) Re-injection of produced water into sub-
surface geological formations to increase energy pro-
duction. 
(c) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—To carry out the 
purposes under this Act, the Secretary may enter into an 
agreement with a consortium whose members have collec-
tively demonstrated capabilities and experience in plan-
ning and managing research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application programs for unconventional 
natural gas and other petroleum production and produced 
water utilization. 
(d) ACTIVITIES AT THE NATIONAL LABORATORIES.— 
The Secretary, through the appropriate National Labora-
tory, shall carry out a program of research, development, 
and demonstration activities complementary to and sup-
portive of the research, development, and demonstration 
programs under subsection (b).
SEC. 4. CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION. 
(a) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this Act, the 
Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of the Interior 
and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency. 
(b) COORDINATION.—To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the Secretary shall ensure that the activities under 
this Act are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the 
efforts of, programs at the Department of Energy and 
other government agencies. 
SEC. 5. FUNDING. 
(a) ALLOCATION.—Amounts appropriated for this 
Act for each fiscal year shall be allocated as follows: 
(1) 75 percent shall be for activities under sec-
tion 3(a), (b), and (c). 
(2) 25 percent shall be for activities under sec-
tion 3(d) and other activities under section 3, includ-
ing administrative functions such as program direc-
tion, overall program oversight, and contract man-
agement.
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 30, 2008. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2339 
AN ACT 
To encourage research, development, and dem-
onstration of technologies to facilitate the utiliza-
tion of water produced in connection with the de-
velopment of domestic energy resources, and for 
other purposes.