Title: NEWS Act of 2019
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2019 or the NEWS Act of 2019
This bill establishes requirements concerning the energy-water nexus, which means the links between (1) the water needed to produce fuels, electricity, and other forms of energy; and (2) the energy needed to transport, reclaim, and treat water and wastewater.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Energy (DOE) and the Department of the Interior to establish a joint Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (NEWS) Office and 			 Interagency Coordination Committee on NEWS to plan for and coordinate energy-water nexus research, development, and demonstration activities.
In addition, DOE must establish and carry out a smart energy and water efficiency management pilot program. Under the program, DOE must award grants to water authorities (i.e., authorities that provide water, wastewater, or water reuse services) for demonstrating unique, advanced, or innovative technology-based solutions that will

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2799 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2799

To require the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior to 
establish a joint Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability Office, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 6, 2019

 Ms. Murkowski introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior to 
establish a joint Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability Office, and 
                          for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nexus of Energy and Water for 
Sustainability Act of 2019'' or the ``NEWS Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. NEXUS OF ENERGY AND WATER FOR SUSTAINABILITY.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) 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.
            (2) Interagency coordination committee.--The term 
        ``Interagency Coordination Committee'' means the Committee on 
        the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (or the ``NEWS 
        Committee'') established under subsection (b)(1).
            (3) Nexus of energy and water sustainability office; news 
        office.--The term ``Nexus of Energy and Water Sustainability 
        Office'' or the ``NEWS Office'' means an office located at the 
        Department of Energy and managed in cooperation with the 
        Department of the Interior pursuant to an agreement between the 
        2 agencies to carry out leadership and administrative functions 
        for the Interagency Coordination Committee.
            (4) RD&D.--The term ``RD&D'' means research, development, 
        and demonstration.
    (b) Interagency Coordination Committee.--
            (1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy and the 
        Secretary of the Interior shall establish the joint NEWS Office 
        and Interagency Coordination Committee on the Nexus of Energy 
        and Water for Sustainability (or the ``NEWS Committee'') to 
        carry out the duties described in paragraph (3).
            (2) Administration.--
                    (A) Chairs.--The Secretary of Energy and the 
                Secretary of the Interior shall jointly manage the NEWS 
                Office and serve as co-chairs of the Interagency 
                Coordination Committee.
                    (B) Membership; staffing.--Membership and staffing 
                shall be determined by the co-chairs.
            (3) Duties.--The Interagency Coordination Committee shall--
                    (A) serve as a forum for developing common Federal 
                goals and plans on energy-water nexus RD&D activities 
                in coordination with the National Science and 
                Technology Council;
                    (B) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter, issue 
                a strategic plan on energy-water nexus RD&D activities 
                priorities and objectives;
                    (C) convene and promote coordination of the 
                activities of Federal departments and agencies on 
                energy-water nexus RD&D activities, including the 
                activities of--
                            (i) the Department of Energy;
                            (ii) the Department of the Interior;
                            (iii) the Corps of Engineers;
                            (iv) the Department of Agriculture;
                            (v) the Department of Defense;
                            (vi) the Department of State;
                            (vii) the Environmental Protection Agency;
                            (viii) the Council on Environmental 
                        Quality;
                            (ix) the National Institute of Standards 
                        and Technology;
                            (x) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration;
                            (xi) the National Science Foundation;
                            (xii) the Office of Management and Budget;
                            (xiii) the Office of Science and Technology 
                        Policy;
                            (xiv) the National Aeronautics and Space 
                        Administration; and
                            (xv) such other Federal departments and 
                        agencies as the Interagency Coordination 
                        Committee considers appropriate;
                    (D)(i) 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
                            (ii) 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 RD&D proposals to 
                                advance energy-water nexus related 
                                science and technologies;
                                    (II) 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, and information 
                                and data exchange;
                    (E) promote the integration of energy-water nexus 
                considerations into existing Federal water, energy, and 
                other natural resource, infrastructure, and science 
                programs at the national and regional levels and with 
                programs administered in partnership with non-Federal 
                entities; and
                    (F) not later than 1 year after the date of 
                enactment of this Act, issue a report on the potential 
                benefits and feasibility of establishing an energy-
                water center of excellence within the National 
                Laboratories (as that term is defined in section 2 of 
                the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)).
            (4) No regulation.--Nothing in this subsection grants to 
        the Interagency Coordination Committee the authority to 
        promulgate regulations or set standards.
            (5) Review; report.--At the end of the 5-year period 
        beginning on the date on which the Interagency Coordination 
        Committee and NEWS Office are established, the NEWS Office 
        shall--
                    (A) review the activities, relevance, and 
                effectiveness of the Interagency Coordination 
                Committee; and
                    (B) 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 
                that--
                            (i) describes the results of the review 
                        conducted under subparagraph (A); and
                            (ii) includes a recommendation on whether 
                        the Interagency Coordination Committee should 
                        continue.
    (c) 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 co-chairs of the Interagency 
Coordination Committee (acting through the NEWS Office) 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, and 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.

SEC. 3. SMART ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16191 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 918. SMART ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENCY PILOT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a utility;
                    ``(B) a municipality;
                    ``(C) a water district;
                    ``(D) an Indian tribe or Alaska Native village; and
                    ``(E) any other authority that provides water, 
                wastewater, or water reuse services.
            ``(2) Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program.--The 
        term `smart energy and water efficiency pilot program' or 
        `pilot program' means the pilot program established under 
        subsection (b).
    ``(b) Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and carry 
        out a smart energy and water efficiency pilot program in 
        accordance with this section.
            ``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the smart energy and water 
        efficiency pilot program is to award grants to eligible 
        entities to demonstrate unique, advanced, or innovative 
        technology-based solutions that will--
                    ``(A) improve the net energy balance of water, 
                wastewater, and water reuse systems;
                    ``(B) improve the net energy balance of water, 
                wastewater, and water reuse systems to help communities 
                across the United States make measurable progress in 
                conserving water, saving energy, and reducing costs;
                    ``(C) support the implementation of innovative and 
                unique processes and the installation of established 
                advanced automated systems that provide real-time data 
                on energy and water; and
                    ``(D) improve energy-water conservation and quality 
                and predictive maintenance through technologies that 
                utilize internet connected technologies, including 
                sensors, intelligent gateways, and security embedded in 
                hardware.
            ``(3) Project selection.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make 
                competitive, merit-reviewed grants under the pilot 
                program to not less than 3, but not more than 5, 
                eligible entities.
                    ``(B) Selection criteria.--In selecting an eligible 
                entity to receive a grant under the pilot program, the 
                Secretary shall consider--
                            ``(i) energy and cost savings;
                            ``(ii) the uniqueness, commercial 
                        viability, and reliability of the technology to 
                        be used;
                            ``(iii) the degree to which the project 
                        integrates next-generation sensors software, 
                        analytics, and management tools;
                            ``(iv) the anticipated cost-effectiveness 
                        of the pilot project through measurable energy 
                        savings, water savings or reuse, and 
                        infrastructure costs averted;
                            ``(v) whether the technology can be 
                        deployed in a variety of geographic regions and 
                        the degree to which the technology can be 
                        implemented in a wide range of applications 
                        ranging in scale from small towns to large 
                        cities, including tribal communities;
                            ``(vi) whether the technology has been 
                        successfully deployed elsewhere;
                            ``(vii) whether the technology was sourced 
                        from a manufacturer based in the United States; 
                        and
                            ``(viii) whether the project will be 
                        completed in 5 years or less.
                    ``(C) Applications.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subject to clause (ii), 
                        an eligible entity seeking a grant under the 
                        pilot program shall submit to the Secretary an 
                        application at such time, in such manner, and 
                        containing such information as the Secretary 
                        determines to be necessary.
                            ``(ii) Contents.--An application under 
                        clause (i) shall, at a minimum, include--
                                    ``(I) a description of the project;
                                    ``(II) a description of the 
                                technology to be used in the project;
                                    ``(III) the anticipated results, 
                                including energy and water savings, of 
                                the project;
                                    ``(IV) a comprehensive budget for 
                                the project;
                                    ``(V) the names of the project lead 
                                organization and any partners;
                                    ``(VI) the number of users to be 
                                served by the project;
                                    ``(VII) a description of the ways 
                                in which the proposal would meet 
                                performance measures established by the 
                                Secretary; and
                                    ``(VIII) any other information that 
                                the Secretary determines to be 
                                necessary to complete the review and 
                                selection of a grant recipient.
            ``(4) Administration.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
                select grant recipients under this section.
                    ``(B) Evaluations.--
                            ``(i) Annual evaluations.--The Secretary 
                        shall annually carry out an evaluation of each 
                        project for which a grant is provided under 
                        this section that meets performance measures 
                        and benchmarks developed by the Secretary, 
                        consistent with the purposes of this section.
                            ``(ii) Requirements.--Consistent with the 
                        performance measures and benchmarks developed 
                        under clause (i), in carrying out an evaluation 
                        under that clause, the Secretary shall--
                                    ``(I) evaluate the progress and 
                                impact of the project; and
                                    ``(II) assesses the degree to which 
                                the project is meeting the goals of the 
                                pilot program.
                    ``(C) Technical and policy assistance.--On the 
                request of a grant recipient, the Secretary shall 
                provide technical and policy assistance.
                    ``(D) Best practices.--The Secretary shall make 
                available to the public through the Internet and other 
                means the Secretary considers to be appropriate--
                            ``(i) a copy of each evaluation carried out 
                        under subparagraph (B); and
                            ``(ii) a description of any best practices 
                        identified by the Secretary as a result of 
                        those evaluations.
                    ``(E) Report to congress.--The Secretary shall 
                submit to Congress a report containing the results of 
                each evaluation carried out under subparagraph (B).
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000, to remain available 
until expended.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58; 119 Stat. 594) is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to section 917 the following:

``Sec. 918. Smart energy and water efficiency pilot program.''.
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